


A Dangerous Market

by MissMy80sShows



Series: Season 5 - What Could Have Happened on SMK [10]
Category: Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:47:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 44,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27354460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMy80sShows/pseuds/MissMy80sShows
Summary: As Amanda's pregnancy progresses, she's been put on light duty at the Agency but will she still find a way to get into trouble?
Series: Season 5 - What Could Have Happened on SMK [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/935760
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

" _Welcome to the ten o'clock news report. The top story of the night is the discovery of another woman's body in a dumpster. The medical examiner has confirmed she had recently given birth, although, the newborn was not found. There were no obvious signs of violence and the medical examiner's office is waiting on her toxicology report to identify the exact cause of death._

_This is the eighth woman found in the last three months. All the women had been pregnant and recently given birth, however, none of the infants have been found to date. It is unknown if the infants survived birth or not._

_The DC Police are asking for your help to identify the latest victim. She has a distinctive tattoo on her wrist, in the shape of a heart with an infinity symbol behind it. If you, or anyone you know, can identify this victim, please, contact the DC Police immediately at 202-555-1212."_

Wednesday morning, Billy stood in the conference room and scanned the faces of the agents gathered around the table. "All right, people. Now, you've all heard the latest news report regarding the murders of the pregnant women over the last few months," he began.

"Yeah, they just announced they found another one last night," Francine inserted.

"You are correct, Ms. Desmond," Billy affirmed.

Francine continued, "The news report stated they needed help identifying the latest victim based on a tattoo, I think."

Billy nodded again, "Correct, however, victim number six has been identified."

"Billy, I don't understand. Murder and unsolved cases typically aren't agency business," Francine asked. The other agents around her nodded and muttered agreements amongst each other.

"True, but that was until now. As I was saying, victim number six has been identified as the nineteen-year-old daughter of Grecian Diplomat, Basil Katsaros. His daughter's name was Damaris Katsaros," Billy explained.

"Katsaros…wasn't he involved in the controversial vote that happened last month over Foreign Affairs? Something about putting a block on international adoptions, after it was discovered that some of the so-called 'source countries' were encouraging families to give up infants in exchange for money," Francine added.

Billy pressed his lips together and nodded, "Yes, which is why when his unmarried pregnant daughter was murdered and her infant was found to be missing, he came to us for help. He doesn't know if this is personal or not." The agents in the room began muttering and chattering at once, their words all blending together until Billy raised his hand to silence them. "All right people, settle down. Francine, you seem to be pretty up-to-date on both Katsaros and what's been happening, so I'm assigning this case to you. Find someone to work with you…someone that may be just as knowledgeable as you are, preferably."

"Yes, sir," Francine accepted the file Billy handed her. "I'll start with the local PD and see if they have any info on the cause of death and go from there, I guess." She looked around the room but everyone present avoided eye contact.

"All right, people. Go. I want updates on everything you're working on by five o'clock today. No one goes home without turning in a report. And that's an order," Billy informed the group.

Francine waited until most of the other agents left the room before she approached Billy. "So, who do you think I should grab for this one? Ferguson is still on leave, as is McIntire and Stephens. I'm not sure who else is available for a case like this," she informed him.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find someone. What about one of the newbies? Sawyer…or that other new kid, what's her name again?" Billy snapped his fingers trying to remember.

"Farrah? Oh no, I'm not taking that barbie doll with me," Francine stated firmly. "And Sawyer? Have you seen him? He looks like he's barely out of diapers."

Billy smoothed his tie as he smiled and said, "I don't care who you find, Francine, just find someone and fast. The longer we stand here talking about it, the longer it's going to take to get an answer for Katsaros."

Francine looked out into the bullpen and noticed Tom Edwards walking by heading into the hallway, his limp barely noticeable. "What about Edwards? Another trip out into the field?"

"I suppose it couldn't hurt, although, I heard he has turned into quite the wizard on the computer in Research," Billy agreed.

"I heard that too, but I also know getting out of the concrete maze of this building can do wonders for the mind," Francine smiled.

"Fine, take Edwards with you. I can't see this being all that dangerous if he's worried about that," Billy held the door open for Francine. "Have you seen Lee or Amanda this morning?"

Francine shook her head, "No, Lee has his annual visit with Stanley and Amanda wasn't expected in until eleven, now that she's been told to cut back her hours. I know Lee mentioned something about her working with Leatherneck on the applications for the new Station One class. If you ask me, I'd say he's trying to keep her out of trouble."

Billy chuckled, "You do know you're still talking about Amanda, right?"

"Boy don't I know it. Did I tell you what happened the other day? She was carrying a stack of files when she bumped into Beamon and dropped everything. It would have been fine, except she couldn't bend down to pick it all up. She got about half of them brushed into a pile with her foot, before Beamon finally reached down to help her, only she leaned over and ended up bumping him in the head with her belly, knocking him completely off his feet. I don't know who was more horrified, Amanda or Beamon," Francine laughed.

Billy laughed loudly, "I could see that." He glanced around the room and spotted Edwards heading in their direction. "Well, look at that. Today must be your lucky day. Here comes Edwards now."

Francine followed Billy's line of sight and called out, "Edwards! You are just the man I was looking for. What are you working on?"

Edwards looked around, slightly confused before he said, "Um, right now, nothing. I just finished up on the Gibraltar Three Project. You know, Operation Flavius. The bombing in Ireland on March 6th that killed Sean Savage, Daniel McCann, and Máiréad Farrell, all members of the Provisional IRA Belfast Brigade."

Francine nodded her head, "Wow, that's pretty impressive. What did you find?"

"Well, the SAS claims it was a justified shooting but after all the violence at their funerals a few weeks back, I wouldn't be surprised if there is a full inquest by the end of the summer," Edwards informed her.

"Soooo, if you've just wrapped that up, that means you're free, right?" Francine asked with a smile.

Edwards looked around the room, confused. "I guess that means I am," he replied tentatively.

Francine linked her arm into his and began pulling him deeper into the bullpen, "Well, I have a new assignment and I think you deserve a second chance. The last time you and I actually worked together… well, we won't even talk about that. But I do need a partner, so what do you say? Are you interested?"

Edwards stopped and blinked several times, "What's the assignment?"

"You've heard about the recent string of murders lately. You know…a pregnant mother goes missing, the body is found a week or so later, the baby missing," she summarized.

"Yeah. Didn't they just find another one last night?" he asked.

Francine flashed a smile at him, "They did. Only one of the murdered women was the nineteen-year-old daughter of a Grecian Diplomat. He's all up in arms, thinking it's revenge against his vote on international adoptions a few weeks back."

"Is that why the Agency is getting involved?" Edwards asked.

"Well, we are going to talk to the locals, see what they're willing to share with us. If it looks like we can help out, then we will, otherwise, we go back to Katsaros and tell him it's out of our hands," Francine explained.

Edwards sighed, "We don't really know if we can help this guy then, do we?"

"No," Francine admitted, "But we have to at least show that we're looking into it. So, what do you think? You interested?"

Edward grinned, "Sure, let me get my coat."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Desmond and Edwards here to meet with Detective Bagley," Francine flashed her badge at the officer covering the desk.

"I'll call him. He's upstairs right now," the officer explained before he lifted the phone and punched several numbers. "Yeah, can you tell Herman he has visitors? A couple of agents from the Agency. Will do." He hung up the phone and indicated a bench several feet down the hall, "Have a seat over there. Bagley will be down in a minute."

Francine and Tom sat down and scanned the area. They noticed several officers escorting in two detainees which they promptly deposited on the bench beside Francine. She scooted over several inches to create space between her and the man. "Hey, toots, how about you and I get a drink later," one man slurred at her. Francine rolled her eyes and looked away, hoping he would simply leave her alone. "Jackie, I think she's trying…trying…to ignore me," the man hiccupped as he elbowed his handcuffed buddy beside him. Edwards snorted when the man edged his way closer to Francine as he said, "Toots, I know…I know…I know I may not look like a rock star but I know I could rock your world." Francine stood and moved to the other side of Tom without replying. The man turned back to his friend once more and uttered, "She doesn't believe me, Jackie. Maybe I should show her the goods. Maybe that would change her mind, huh?"

Jackie groaned, "Bud, that's why we got arrested in the first place. You showed your goods to that hooker down on Berkley, remember? Or are you still too drunk to remember?"

"I'm not drunk…not yet anyway. As soon as we get out of here I will be. Besides, I figured that hooker would be honest and tell me what she really thought," Bud countered.

"I'm sure if you paid her the twenty bucks she asked for, she wouldn't have called the cops and ran. Instead, we get picked up for you exposing yourself in public and being openly intoxicated. I was only there to pick you up from that bar and yet, here I am! Sitting beside you in handcuffs," Jackie's voice rose angrily. "I didn't even do anything except try to be a good friend." Tom tried to cover his face to hide his laughter but Jackie noticed him. "What are you laughing at?"

"You two," Tom admitted. He jumped when Francine grabbed him by the arm and pulled him away from the bench. "What?" he asked confused.

"Don't engage any more than you have too. Rule number one in a police station," she informed him. She leaned against the hall and craned her neck, hoping to see the detective heading in their direction. She visibly sighed when she saw a portly gentleman, wearing an ill-fitting gray suit, a badge dangling from around his neck, heading in their direction. "Detective Bagley?" she asked.

"That's me. And you're from the Agency?" Herman Bagley held out his hand. Francine and Tom offered their badges for examination. "Here, follow me. We can talk in private," he stated before he turned away and walked toward the stairs. Francine and Tom followed him to a small conference room in the basement. "Sorry about the musty smell. We had a pipe burst this winter down here and they're still pulling out the carpets." He sat down in one of the large, fabric-covered chairs and asked, "So, what does the Agency want with me?"

Francine dropped her purse on the table and sat down, Tom taking the seat beside her. "We are here about the recent string of murders you're currently investigating," she explained.

"The Maternity Murders?" Herman asked.

"The what?" Tom gasped.

"The Maternity Murders…that's what we've been calling them, for lack of a better description. What interest does the Agency have in this case?" Herman questioned.

Francine folded her hand on the table and explained, "Victim number six, Damaris Katsaros. Her father is concerned her death is direct retaliation to how he viewed the international adoption debate last month. He wants answers, plain and simple."

Herman pursed his lips, stood up and said, "Hang on, I'll get the case files." He left the room, leaving Francine and Tom sitting alone.

"I hope we're not down here all day. He's right, it stinks down here," Tom complained.

"Hey, it could be worse. You could have to spend the day with Dr. Pain like Lee is right now," Francine laughed.

Tom shook his head, "I had my first exposure to him a few weeks ago. He did an introductory class for us newer agents."

"How'd you handle it?" Francine asked, genuinely interested.

"Why do you think I'm limping? He got me just right on that hip. I know the doctors said it could take almost a full year for this to heal but, damn, I never expected this," Tom admitted.

Francine grimaced, "What did you do?"

Tom laughed, "Honestly? I yelled like a little girl, then gritted my teeth and tackled him as best as I could. Hey, it wasn't Karate Kid worthy but I got him on his back before the pain became unbearable."

Before Francine could reply, Herman reappeared carrying a stack of files that he promptly spread across the table. "They're numbered one to eight. Like you said, Katsaros is number six."

Francine opened the case file and began scanning the handwritten notes. "Has the official cause of death been discovered yet?" she asked. Tom opened the first file and began making notes on a small pad of paper.

"Well, yes and no. They ran a basic tox screen and found several drugs in her system. The few that stood out the most were Pitocin, Heparin, and Morphine," Herman stated.

"Wait, Pitocin. Isn't that given to start contractions?" Francine questioned as she continued to flip through the pages before her.

Herman confirmed, "It is, but Heparin is a blood thinner which is rarely given to pregnant women during labor. And then there's the Morphine. The medical examiner has a theory on what that combination could mean but the latest victim has sort of thrown us off. The only drug found in her system was the Pitocin."

"Wait, are you suggesting their deaths were caused by the heparin and morphine?" Tom interjected, his pen frozen mid-word.

"Well, the ME suggested the official cause of death was massive hemorrhaging, stimulated by the introduction of a large dose of heparin right before birth. The morphine levels weren't lethal, so he believes they may have been injected to make the entire process painless," Herman stated.

Francine whistled low before she said, "That's quite a theory. Any suspects?"

Herman pursed his lips, "No, not a single one. All the bodies were discarded in dumpsters on the outskirts of the city, and, of course, there were no security cameras in any of the areas. All the victims are of different races, nationalities, ages. The only common thread is they were all pregnant and none appeared to be in a committed relationship at the time."

"A committed relationship…you mean they weren't married?" Edwards clarified.

"Not married, no longer dating, or the fathers of the babies don't appear to be in the picture whatsoever," Herman emphasized.

Francine scanned another file and added, "So, they would all have been single mothers?"

"If anyone of them actually decided to keep their babies, then yes," Herman confirmed.

Edwards, once again confused, "I don't know that I understand what you mean."

"From what most of the families have told us, each of these women were considering giving up their babies for adoption," Herman stated.

"When you say, most of the families, do you mean that you've identified all the women and talked to their families?" Francine asked.

Herman pulled out a handwritten list with each victim's names written in a column. In a second column was a contact name, relationship, and telephone number for five of the eight names. "We've identified seven of the eight. Five of them, we've spoken with the families and they are beyond devastated. One of them is your Grecian Diplomat. We've been unable to have any further contact with him minus the day he identified the body. He hasn't been an easy man to talk to. Another victim had no other family that we can find. The last is our unidentified victim, although, we have two leads. One is from a homeless shelter and the other is from a woman who claims it is her daughter who ran away several months ago. She'd be just over eighteen if it is. We're waiting for a positive ID."

"Is she going to come to identify the remains?" Francine questioned.

Herman shook his head, "She lives out of state and is disabled. She's sending us a few photographs to try to make a match with that. The victim has several other tattoos which we didn't mention in the news report, however, the mother was able to describe one of them in detail. Unfortunately, it's a pretty common design, so we can't use that information until we have some evidence to compare it to."

"And that's where the pictures will come in, right?" Tom asked as he furiously jotted down notes.

"Hopefully. I hate to see families that have no answers. I think the not-knowing is much worse than knowing. The evils you know versus the evils you don't," Herman stated solemnly.

Francine stacked the folders into a neat pile before she handed them back to the detective. "Could you have copies of these sent to the Agency?" she asked.

"Will do. Anything else?" Detective Bagley added.

"I think that will do it for now. We're going to have a conversation with Mr. Katsaros later today. If we come up with anything else, we'll let you know," Francine informed him.

The detective stood and shook her hand before shaking Edwards, "I look forward to anything you might find. Follow me, I'll escort you out."

As they climbed the stairs back to the main hallway, Jackie and Bud were still sitting on the same bench. Bud noticed Francine immediately and began calling over to her to get her attention, "Hey, hey, Blondie. Help a guy out, will ya?"

Francine groaned at Edwards, "Let's get out of here before I hurt that guy."

Edwards took one last look in Bud's direction and called out, "She's not interested, buddy. Maybe next time."

An officer standing at the counter laughed loudly and added, "For Bud, there won't be a next time."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Mr. Katsaros, I know how upset you are, but we need your cooperation if we are going to find out who did this to your daughter," Francine explained for the third time. Her patience was rapidly wearing thin as the stone-faced man sat silently before her with tears running down his cheeks.

Tom Edwards, hearing the frustration in Francine's voice, piped up, "Sir, do you know who the father of the baby was? Maybe we could start with him. You know, talk to him, find out if anyone had approached him about your daughter."

"My daughter told me he wanted nothing to do with her son. That he was young, immature and that she made a mistake she would pay for her son's entire life," Mr. Katsaros finally spoke, his voice low and his accent thick.

"All right, that's a start. Did she say how she met him?" Tom pushed gently as Francine pressed her lips together.

Mr. Katsaros focused on Tom and nodded, "At a college dorm party last summer. I brought my daughter here for a better education, only three months after she arrives, she winds up pregnant by an athlete who didn't care about anything except for his own scholarship. As soon as she told him she was pregnant, he stopped talking to her altogether. She was already enrolled in her own classes, so she decided to continue. She left school at the end of the semester and has stayed in her room mostly, only leaving to visit the doctor or to eat."

"Did she have any friends she would have spent time with?" Tom continued.

Mr. Katsaros nodded, "She had two girls she met at school that would come to visit her almost every week. They even took her out shopping the week before she went missing." He swallowed hard before he added, "It was after that shopping trip she decided she was going to give her son up for adoption to not disgrace the family any more than she already had. She said she would return to Greece in the summer and never mention him again."

Francine straightened her back and asked, "You mean, she was planning on keeping the baby up to that point?"

Mr. Katsaros shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not so sure what she was planning to be honest. She wouldn't talk to me about it, but her friends were always polite and one of the girls…Paris…she told me one day Mari was picking out names for him. I naturally assumed if she was picking out names then she was planning on keeping him."

Tom jotted down what little information he had just given them. "Sir, you mentioned you thought this might be retaliation against you. Can you explain that?" he asked.

"No. I just thought…" his voice trailed off before he added softly, "I just need some answers. I knew your Agency has more resources than the local police and it doesn't seem like they can stop what is happening. It could be extremists or it could be some horrible person. I don't know."

Francine shook her head, "So, you don't think it had anything to do with your vote?"

"I'm not sure," Mr. Katsaros admitted.

Tom stared at his notes, "Mr. Katsaros, would Mari have told her mother if she was keeping the baby?"

"My wife has been gone since Mari was eight years old. She had cancer and it was just Mari and me for so long. I really thought she could make a better life here. A happier one, without the constant reminders back in Greece. I was wrong," he stated sadly.

"Mr. Katsaros, you said there were two girls. Could you possibly give us any other information about them?" Francine asked politely.

"Ναί, yes. Mari has a book on her desk…Had a book…What am I saying? The book is still there. It is my daughter that is gone forever," Mr. Katsaros cried. He dropped his face into his hands and openly sobbed as Tom and Francine stared at each other, unsure what they should do.

Slowly, Francine reached out and touched the grieving man's shoulder. He inhaled sharply, stood up and whispered, "Follow me." He walked up the staircase, Tom directly behind him and stopped by a closed-door in the hall. "I can't go in there. This is… was… Mari's room. Maybe you will find some answers where I have been unable to."

Mr. Katsaros left the two of them alone and went back down the stairs. He disappeared around the corner and several seconds later, they could hear water running from somewhere below. Francine looked at Tom and pushed the door open slowly. They stepped into the large bedroom and scanned the room slowly. The central focal point was the large white sleigh bed, decorated with a pink-flowered spread. Francine counted nine pillows, meticulously placed across the head of the bed, a small light blue teddy bear propped up against a pink heart-shaped one. Francine lifted the bear, squeezed it once before she gently placed it back down again.

Edwards moved to the desk across the room where a small red journal sat on the corner, complete with a matching red pen. Using the pen, Edwards flipped the cover open and skimmed the first few pages.

"Anything?" Francine asked.

"At first glance, not really. Most of it is in Greek, although, I can pick out a few words here and there, it doesn't mean much to me," he explained.

Francine looked over at him, "You speak Greek?"

"Not much, just a little. My great-grandmother was Greek. She thought it was important to pass on some traditions except the rest of the family wasn't into it. She died when I was nine but I do remember a few things she taught me. Like this word here... " Edwards pointed to one word used several times on the page, "Oikogéneia means family. And this one here, moró, means baby. There are a few other words I recognize, but not many." He closed the book and took a large plastic bag out of his pocket. "I'm going to bag this up and have Crypto go over it."

Francine shook her head, "You really think there's going to be some deep dark secret hidden in the diary of a nineteen-year-old college student?"

"No," Edwards smiled as he shook the book into the bag. "But it might have some insight into what she was thinking."

Francine groaned as she looked around the room again. Beside the bed, she noticed a small shopping bag which she promptly lifted carefully. "Hmmm, Maggie and Tuck's, Maternity, Baby and More. This looks promising," she read the name printed on the outside of the bag. She shook the contents out onto the bed, revealing a baby name book and several pamphlets. She flipped the pages of the book to discover several pages marked with additional pamphlets. "Well, if what Mr. Katsaros said was correct, she was considering names. There are four pages marked with these flyers and she's underlined a few names on each page." She looked into the bag and added, "Wait, there's something else in here." She pulled out a newborn-sized pair of pajamas printed with "Made in the USA". "I don't know if this is funny or not," she held the clothing with two fingers.

"Depends on how you look at it. Maybe one of her friends bought it for her?" Edwards shrugged.

Francine dropped the material and spread the pamphlets out across the bed. "Interesting reading material," she announced.

Edwards crossed the room and read the titles on the flyers, "WIC program, Single Parenting, Health of Your Newborn, What is Adoption?, Why Adoption? Looks like she was weighing all her options."

"You're right. Let's bag this stuff, too. I wonder what other types of information you can get at Maggie and Tuck's?" Francine suggested.

"Only one way to find out," Edwards stated and handed Francine another bag.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Oh, Amanda, I'm so glad we thought of this store. They have everything!" Dotty exclaimed as they wandered down one of the aisles of baby clothes in Maggie and Tuck's. "Look at all these cute little outfits! The girls will be adorable in these matching dresses!" she gasped as she held up two pink, frilly, lace dresses.

"Mother, I'm not sure I even want to dress them alike. I mean, if they are identical don't you think it's going to be hard enough to tell them apart in the beginning?" Amanda groaned.

Dotty rolled her eyes, "Oh, where's the fun in that? What about the holidays? And family pictures?"

"Mother, no. I really think I want the girls to have their own identities and putting them in matching outfits all the time isn't going to do that. I never put the boys in the same shirt for pictures, why would I do that now?" Amanda reprimanded her mother as Dotty held up another matching set.

Dotty's face fell as she returned the hangers on the rack and she turned away, "I just thought it would be cute. We've never had twins before in the family so I just thought-"

"It's okay, Mother. I thought that it would be fun at first, too, but the more I read and the more I think about it, I don't want them to feel like they don't have their own…. Oh, I don't know how to put it. They're going to be twins their whole lives, but I want them to be individuals too," Amanda sighed.

Dotty raised her hands and agreed, "I understand. I may not like it, but I do understand, Darling." Looking around at the clothing racks, Dotty had an idea, "How about matching outfits but different colors? You know, one baby has pink and the other has purple, that kind of thing?"

Amanda thought for a moment then nodded, "Sure, that would work. As long as we stayed consistent."

Dotty pressed her hand to her chest happily, "This is going to be so perfect! So two of everything, only different colors. Now, what about blues and yellows and greens? How should we handle those colors?"

Amanda smiled at her mother's enthusiasm, "I think the same way. Each of the girls will have the same combination of colors. And tell you what, we can even make a little chart or something to help everyone."

"Well, we should start making a list of all the things you're going to need for your baby shower too, Amanda! That'll be here before you know it," Dotty rambled as she walked away, leaving Amanda alone in the aisle.

With a shake of her head, Amanda followed Dotty, while she rubbed her belly. Quietly, she whispered, "Don't worry, girls, your grandmother just gets a little excited. Everything will be just fine." She lost sight of Dotty when she ducked down another aisle. A little louder she called out, "Mother? Where are you going?" She stepped into what she thought was the aisle Dotty had disappeared down but all she saw was a row of highchairs. "Mother?" Amanda called again. She stepped into the next aisle and scanned the area for Dotty but was unable to locate her again. "Mo-ther?" she called again, slightly frustrated.

"Amanda? Where'd you go?" Dotty called from another aisle. "I'm over here!"

Amanda rolled her eyes and headed back in the direction she came from, "Where? I don't see you."

"Down here," Dotty called out.

Amanda walked past three more rows and exhaled loudly. Under her breath, she muttered, "Down where, Mother? I'm really getting tired of this game." She got to the end of the row and sighed when she found her mother staring at the row of baby carriages. "There you are," Amanda gasped.

"I've been right here all along, Amanda. There's no need for you to get so upset," Dotty reprimanded her.

"Mother, I've been walking up and down…" she trailed off and sighed, "Never mind. What did you find?"

Dotty looked from one end of the carriages to the other and shook her head, "Well, I was thinking. We'll have to have two separate carriages for the girls, right? That's going to make shopping difficult for you, isn't it?"

Amanda thought for a moment and scanned the different styles of strollers and buggies. At the far end, she noticed a small section of double strollers. "Look, Mother," she said as she pointed to the collection. Dotty followed Amanda and they spent the next twenty minutes moving each one, folding and unfolding the different types before Amanda finally cried, "This is so overwhelming. It was so much easier with the boys."

"Darling, don't get so upset. We'll figure it all out. Let's go look at car seats. Now those shouldn't have changed all that much and we know they each need their own seat," Dotty tried to soothe her.

Amanda wiped her eyes and followed Dotty into another aisle. She took one look at the twelve different infant car seats and shook her head. "I can't do any more today, Mother. This is too much for me right now," Amanda whimpered.

Dotty put her arm around Amanda's shoulders and hugged her tightly. "Well, we do know one thing we definitely want to get and we even know what kind," Dotty stated with conviction.

"What's that, Mother," Amanda sighed.

"We are getting two of the tot loc booster seats like Charlie uses. We know how they work and they'll fit on the counter without a problem. And I'm going to buy them today!" Dotty insisted. She steered Amanda into the aisle and handed her one of the two boxes.

Amanda checked her watch, opened her eyes wide and gasped, "We've got to get moving, Mother. I need to be at work soon. Shoot, I'm not going to have enough time to go home and get my car."

Dotty laughed lightly as she assured her, "Don't worry, Darling, I'll just drop you off at work and Lee can drive you home. Problem solved." She stopped at the register where a young girl wearing a bright red smock waited. "We'll take these please."

The clerk looked at Amanda and smiled, "You look like you're ready any day now."

Amanda grinned politely, "No, not for another few months."

Dotty leaned close and patted Amanda's swollen belly and whispered, "She's having twins."

"Ohhh," the clerk replied. She pressed a button beside her register and scanned the first box. "Were you able to find everything you were looking for?"

"It's a little overwhelming. My boys are so much older and I don't know how we're going to get through all of this," Amanda admitted.

"You have older children? I take it this pregnancy was a surprise then," the clerk commented politely.

Dotty rolled her eyes, "Surprised is putting it mildly. I never expected to have any more grandchildren, never mind twins!"

The clerk nodded several times, "That'll be one hundred, ninety-three dollars and forty-seven cents." When Amanda's eyebrows shot up, she added, "Babies can be so expensive."

"Mother," Amanda began but Dotty waved her hand and gave the clerk her credit card.

"Don't give me any nonsense, Amanda. I told you I wanted to do this and I was going to help every way I could," Dotty insisted.

The clerk eyed Amanda once more and said, "Over there are pamphlets for different programs that can help if you're interested."

Amanda glanced off to the side at a small sitting area and noticed a clock on the wall and stammered, "Mother, I really need to get going or I'm going to be late for work." She turned back to the clerk, "Thank you so much for your help. I'm sure we'll be back." Amanda and Dotty gathered up the two boxes and hurriedly left the store.

The clerk plastered a smile on her face as the next customer walked through the doors. "Welcome to Maggie and Tuck's. Please let me know if you need any help."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Francine sat at her desk and began writing out her report for their findings earlier that day. She wrote out as much detail as she could regarding the journal Tom was bringing down to Crypto to have translated. She looked at the stack of pamphlets and moved each one as she copied down the title into a neat list on her report. She lifted the name book and flipped slowly through the pages until she found the marked ones. She wrote down all the names that were underlined and carefully scanned the rest of the book for any other markings. When she didn't find any, she put the name book and the pamphlets back into the evidence bag and looked at her report. She didn't notice Amanda wander into the bullpen until she called her name.

"Francine? Have you seen Lee?" Amanda asked.

"Um, last time I saw him was this morning when he was heading downstairs to see Stanley," Francine smiled.

"Shoot," Amanda exhaled. She pursed her lips and looked at her watch.

"Something wrong?" Francine asked. She tapped her pen on her report as she waited for Amanda to reply.

Amanda looked around and sighed, "Well, no. Mother and I were shopping this morning and I didn't have enough time to go home and get my car first so Mother dropped me off. I figured I would be here until Lee was done but Mr. Melrose just told me the intern they assigned to help me just went home sick so there's nothing I can work on right now."

"I thought you were helping Leatherneck?" Francine asked.

"He's over at Station One with the other instructors setting up a new climbing wall. I would have finished the background checks but it looks like Leatherneck took the files with him or he locked them up in his office," Amanda explained.

Francine laughed, "Leatherneck actually has his own office?"

Amanda leaned on the edge of Francine's desk and laughed, "How is it, you two have been a thing for months yet you don't even know where his office is?"

Francine shook her head, "Amanda Stetson, I beg to differ. Leatherneck and I are not a thing as you put it. We're friends and nothing more."

"Uh-huh, friends. Didn't you go away for Valentine's Day?" Amanda questioned with a grin.

"No," Francine insisted. "We went to New York City for the Agency's Foreign Support Summit which happened to be the same weekend. We had our own rooms and yes, we did have dinner together but nothing else happened."

Amanda rubbed her belly with one hand and laughed, "Well, I stand corrected."

"So where is Leatherneck's office?" Francine implored.

"Level Seven near TAC. That way he's close by the shooting range and the Quartermaster Stores if anyone needs him," Amanda explained. "Do you know he puts himself on a rotating schedule based on the seasons?" she whispered with a laugh.

Francine leaned close and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Amanda looked around and said quietly, "Well, he was telling me during the fall, he puts himself on the schedule for the garage, during the summer, the shooting range, during the winter he teaches a few classes and hangs out in the Quartermaster Stores and during the spring he heads over to Station One when he can. That way, he doesn't get bored in one place for too long."

Francine whistled low, "So that explains it."

"Explains what?" Amanda laughed again.

"Why he's never in one place when I'm looking for him," Francine stated. She looked down and remembered she still needed to finish her report. "Amanda, did you need something else? I have to run out soon so I can finish up this report for today."

"No, I guess I can just wait for Lee to finish up," she sighed.

"Oh, he might be down there a while. Stanley put a Do Not Disturb sign on his door which typically means he's planning on a long session," Francine informed her. When Amanda's face fell, Francine suggested, "Tell you what. I need to head in that direction. If you help me out, I'll drop you off."

Amanda folded her arms and studied Francine's face before she asked, "What do you need?"

"I need to go to a store called Maggie and Tuck's to see if I can find these," she held up the bag with the flyers and pamphlets in it.

"Mother and I just came from there. I know exactly where to find those," Amanda nodded.

Francine exhaled, "Great. So I'll pull up and you can run inside, grab all the pamphlets you see. Then I can drop you off at home and it's a win-win for both of us."

"A win-win? Francine this sounds like you don't want to go into the store and you're using me to do your work for you," Amanda admonished her friend.

"Amanda, that is a maternity and baby store. I don't belong in there," Francine stated firmly.

"Why? Because you're not pregnant?" Amanda snapped back teasingly.

Francine pursed her lips and looked around to see if anyone was listening. "Keep your voice down. I don't want anyone getting the wrong impression. I'm just not comfortable in places like that, that's all." She sighed softly and asked, "Will you help me, please?"

"I will, but you need to come inside with me to understand there's nothing to be afraid of," Amanda insisted.

Francine closed her eyes briefly then stated, "Fine." She quickly added, "Thank you," before they left the bullpen together. As they drove to the store, they chatted over some of the scuttlebutt and rumors flying around the Steno Pool. When they reached the store, Francine asked once more, "You sure I have to go in there?"

Amanda nodded her head, "Yes, Francine. Don't worry, there's nothing in there that's going to hurt you." They entered the store and Amanda immediately walked past the registers to a small sitting area surrounded by displays filled with various flyers and pamphlets. "Is this what you were looking for?" Amanda teased.

"Oh, you're back!" the clerk called over to Amanda.

"Oh, no. It's her again," Nervously, Amanda twisted her hands together. When she didn't feel her rings, she immediately panicked but quickly remembered where she left them.

The clerk hurried over to Amanda and Francine. "Were you interested in our information library?" she asked.

Amanda scanned the first row of pamphlets, reached forward and grabbed one as she said, "Yes, I was. I was thinking it's been so long since my boys were babies that I wanted to see if anything had changed in the debate on bottle versus breastfeeding." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Francine visibly flinch.

"Well, we have a class on why 'breast is best' if you're interested," the clerk stated. She eyed Amanda carefully before she leaned close and said, "We also offer support for single mothers as well as solutions."

"But I'm not-" Amanda began but, to her surprise, Francine cut her off quickly. "She's not ready to make any kind of a decision yet. You know how that goes."

The clerk eyed Francine for a moment, then nodded. "I understand. But we're here to help if you need it," she stated before she wandered away to help another customer.

Francine scanned the rows of pamphlets as she watched the clerk disappear. She quickly pulled a few pamphlets on adoption including several on international adoptions. Amanda stood, her mouth gaping open as she tried to figure out what just happened. "Francine, why did you interrupt me?"

Francine craned her neck, looking for the clerk before she whispered, "Because she doesn't know you're married." Amanda twisted her hands together again, uncomfortable her rings were not on her fingers. "Let's get out of here before she comes back," Francine commanded as she linked her arm in Amanda's and tugged her outside.

"What was that all about?" Amanda questioned as Francine continued to guide her to the car.

"That clerk was a little too interested in you," Francine stated cryptically. Once they were safely back in the car, Francine asked, "Where is your wedding ring? I thought you never took that off?"

Amanda glanced down at her hands, ring-free. "My hands are beginning to swell a little and they felt a little tight this morning so I took them off when I took a shower only I forgot to put them back on when Mother rushed me out to go shopping," Amanda explained.

"Well, it's a good thing because that just gave me an idea for this new case that Edwards and I are working on," Francine smiled.

"Really? Something I can help you with, maybe?" Amanda asked, her eyebrows high.

Francine shrugged her shoulders and admitted, "I'm not sure yet but I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions in a day or two."

"Well, I have plenty of time on my hands," Amanda laughed as Francine drove out of the parking lot.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Lee winced as he climbed out of his car in the driveway. He stretched his left leg again and cringed as the muscles tightened up once more. Slowly he limped his way into the garage, using the wall for leverage. He nearly tripped over Philip's skateboard leaning against the wall but managed to catch himself before he fell. He pushed open the door and quietly hobbled into the hall. He listened for a few seconds, hoping no one was sitting in the kitchen to notice him. Hearing nothing but silence, he carefully hobbled down the dim hall and stepped into the bright light of the room where Jamie sat at the kitchen table doing his homework. Lee's hazel eyes locked with Jamie's just before Jamie gasped, "Mom! Mom! You better come 'ere!"

Lee tried shushing him with a shake of his head and a wave of his hand. "No, no, you don't need to call your mother," Lee hissed but Jamie scrambled out of his seat and ran to the stairs, calling Amanda again.

"Mom, Lee's hurt!" Jamie yelled.

"Dammit!" Lee cursed under his breath before he limped over to the fridge. He pulled out two bags of frozen vegetables and sat down on one of the stools. When Amanda appeared in the kitchen, he had his left leg up on another stool, a bag of peas resting above his knee. The other bag of frozen corn was pressed to his right eye.

"Oh my gosh! What happened?" Amanda exclaimed. She rushed forward to gently touch his forehead before Lee moved the makeshift ice pack aside. "Lee! Your eye! Oh my goodness. I thought you were just going to do some training with Stanley today?" she questioned. She tentatively prodded the swelling around his cheekbone as she waited for an answer.

Lee glanced over at Jamie who was staring at him, his eyes wide. He sighed and tried to explain, "Stanley and I were going over some martial arts moves today, yes."

"And he decked you?" Jamie inserted.

"No, not really. The eye was an accident. He sparred and I sparred then he pulled and I pulled only we pulled in the same direction, right into my eye. And Stanley felt really bad about it, too. Until he broke his hand," Lee explained without making eye contact with Amanda.

Amanda sighed and continued to inspect the bruising and swelling around his eye. She gently applied the frozen bag to his skin again before she asked, "Stanley broke his hand when he hit you? That doesn't sound like Stanley?"

"No, he didn't break his hand when we collided," Lee shook his head with a grimace.

"Well, what happened?" Amanda gently demanded.

Lee pursed his lips then said, "After I hit the mat, Stanley took one look at me and rushed out of the room, only his feet got tangled up in the gym bag that I left beside the door."

"Oh, no!" Amanda exclaimed.

Lee nodded, "Oh, yes. He tripped, fell right through the doorway and when he tried to catch his balance he slammed his hand off the desk and broke it."

Jamie jumped up, "He broke the desk?"

"No, sweetheart, I think Lee meant he broke his hand," Amanda corrected him.

"No, no that's not when he broke his hand," Lee corrected Amanda. Amanda raised her eyebrows, confused.

"Oh, so what happened to your leg?" Jamie, now confused, asked.

Lee sighed, "Well, I got up to help Stanley only I tripped over him as he was trying to get up and then I ended up knocking him back down again."

"So that's when you hurt your leg?" Jamie asked, hoping he followed Lee's story.

Lee shook his head, "No. Stanley finally got to his feet only the strap from my bag was still tangled around his foot. He took one step forward to reach for the phone but fell on me again."

"And that's when-" Jamie began but started laughing when Lee shook his head once more. "Oh come on, Lee! How did Stanley break his hand and you hurt your leg?" Jamie pleaded.

"Stanley finally got his foot loose from the strap and I was able to get out of his way but when he reached the phone, it wasn't working so he got so frustrated he punched the wall beside the phone," Lee informed them.

Amanda reached out and touched his leg, earning a painful gasp in return. "Sweetheart, that doesn't explain how you hurt your leg," she stated.

Lee looked at Amanda, then at Jamie. He ran his hand through his hair and said, "I hurt my leg when the phone fell off the wall and landed on me."

Jamie tried hard to suppress his laughter as the image populated his mind. "Well, at least it was only your leg and not your head," Amanda added.

"Yeah, I'm going to head upstairs and get changed. I'm sure the bruise on my leg looks better than the one on my cheek so I want to just make sure that's all there is," Lee stated as he slowly lowered his leg to the floor.

He took two steps forward when he heard Philip exclaim, "What the hell happened to you?"

"Philip!" Amanda snapped. "What have I told you about that word?"

"What word? What happened to Lee?" Philip demanded, thrusting his hand at Lee.

Lee raised his own hand and shook his head, "I was practicing some hand to hand combat skills and by a series of unfortunate events, I had a telephone fall on me and my friend broke his hand."

Philip leaned to the side to examine Lee's cheek, "That's gonna be pretty gnarly tomorrow."

Lee lifted his hand to his cheek and tentatively touched it, "Yeah, yeah I bet it is."

"Lee, what the hell happened to you?" Dotty cried as she dropped the laundry basket she was carrying. She rushed over to him and began touching his cheek, his arms and when she inadvertently touched his knee, Lee cried out loudly. "Oh my gosh, Amanda, don't just stand there. Call the doctor, an ambulance, something! Oh, Lee, who did this to you?!"

Lee put his hands on Dotty's shoulders and assured her, "I'll be all right. Part of it was my own doing and the other part was sheer dumb luck. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'll be okay. I'm just going to head upstairs, change my clothes and ice my knee for a while."

"You head on up, I'll make you a couple of real ice packs," Amanda instructed. She shook her head as she watched him limp his way up the stairs. She turned back to her family all watching him and asked, "Don't you have something better to do?"

Jamie scratched the back of his neck and sauntered back to the table where his homework awaited. Dotty walked back and picked up the laundry basket, "I guess I'll take these up to my room and fold them there." She left the kitchen, leaving Philip still staring after Lee.

Amanda cleared her throat as she filled two ice bags. "You and I will have another conversation about your language," she stated firmly looking right at Philip. He swallowed loudly before he put his head down and walked down the stairs to the family room in the basement. Amanda shook her head and sighed. She climbed the steps and found Lee sitting on the edge of the bed, his pants only halfway off. "Need some help?" she teased.

Lee glanced up, gave her a half-smile and admitted, "Actually, I do. I can't get my boot off because I can't twist my leg enough to pull it."

Amanda dropped the ice bags beside him and offered her hands. "Stretch it out and let me see it," she waited until Lee slowly lifted his left foot. He lay back on the bed and groaned as Amanda tugged his boot until his foot slipped free. "The other one, too," she commanded and a minute later, both boots were on the floor and she was pulling his pants free from his legs. On his left leg, just above his knee was an angry looking welt, already bruised dark purple and blue. She took one of the ice bags and placed it on his knee, drawing a hiss of pain from Lee. "Scoot back, get a pillow under it," she stated, lifting the bag of ice again.

"Amanda, can I at least put my sweatpants on?" Lee asked. He was wearing nothing but a t-shirt and his boxer shorts.

"Just let the ice get on there for a while first," Amanda explained. '

Lee pushed back until he was completely on the bed. Amanda took a small throw pillow from the couch and propped it under his knee. She placed the ice pack on his leg and the other bag on his cheek. Lee reached up to balance the ice pack and captured her hand with his. "Thank you," he whispered.

Amanda sat on the bed beside him, brushed his hair off his face and smiled. "So, did you learn anything from your little adventure today?" she teased.

Lee smiled back at her, "Yes I did. I learned I still have the best Bluebell around no matter how stupid I was when I got hurt."

Amanda kissed the tip of his nose and whispered, "And don't you forget it."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**This chapter contains adult themes.**

Lee woke early the next morning, his knee throbbing. He glanced over at a sleeping Amanda, still curled up on her side with her arm stretched out to touch him. He lifted her hand, brushed his lips across her knuckles before he hobbled into the bathroom. He turned on the shower and grimaced as he slowly stripped off his clothes, his knee feeling tighter than the previous night. He climbed into the shower and hissed when the hot water sprayed onto his face. "Goddammit!" he cursed, then silently berated himself. He clenched his teeth as the water rolled down his body and swore again. He placed his hands against the tiled wall and dropped his head, allowing the water to travel down his back. He grunted as he tried to stretch his leg. He was so engrossed in the aches and pains of his own body that he didn't hear Amanda enter the room with him. It wasn't until he felt her arms snake around him that he realized she was there. He jumped and remarked, "Hey, I thought you were still sleeping." He twisted around in her arms and brushed his lips across her temple as she held him closer.

"I was, until I heard someone using a few words my teenage son has become fond of," she stated. She rubbed her hands up his arms to link them behind his neck. "And you sound like you might need a little help in here this morning. A little stiff?"

"Yeah, my leg is a little," Lee admitted. He kissed her on the lips gently before he slid one hand down her back to grip her backside. "And I can tell you something else that's getting a little stiff," he teased.

"Mmm," Amanda hummed, "I can feel that. Well, maybe I should give you a little massage to help with that leg and then I'm sure we can think of something else for your other problem." She smiled, bit her bottom lip with her top teeth and moved her hands down his shoulders. She followed the water down his chest and slowly dropped down to her knees. Lee steadied himself with one hand against the wall as Amanda began massaging the muscles of his quad, just above his knee.

"Oh, Amanda, that feels so good," he moaned happily. He flexed his foot, straightened his leg and groaned again.

"Sweetheart, if you think that feels good, how about this?" Amanda teased as she dragged her nails upward. She wrapped her hand around his engorged shaft and quickly set a rhythm she knew would drive Lee hard and fast over the edge of bliss.

"No!" Lee snapped when he realized what she was doing. "Not without you, Manda," he stated, his voice thick with desire. He helped her to her feet and rubbed his hands along her swollen belly before he said, "I didn't properly say good morning." He leaned down and captured her lips with his in a glorious, desire filled kiss.

"Ohhh," Amanda sighed when Lee's lips left hers and traveled down her neck to her collarbones before he cupped her swollen breast with one hand. He captured the rosy bud with his tongue before he suckled the tight point, drawing another cry of pleasure from Amanda. He kneaded her other breast for a moment then allowed his hand to travel down her belly to the soft thatch of hair at her apex. "Lee," Amanda whispered sharply as he teased the tight bundle of nerves with his finger before he slid one into her slick passage.

Lee's lips found Amanda's again while his fingers teased and prodded, her pleasure evident by the squeaks and moans she was trying hard to suppress. He chuckled against her lips when she reached out and captured his shaft in her hand, stroking him in time with his own actions. "Now," she whispered against his lips before she spun around. Lee plunged into her passage and rolled his eyes when the feeling of her inner muscles already started to clamp down on him. He pumped his hips quickly, pushing Amanda higher. "Please," she begged. Lee cupped one breast with his hand and brushed his thumb across the tight tip as he held onto her with the other hand.

Amanda cried out as the first wave of her orgasm began. Lee pumped harder, dropped his hand from her breast to press between her legs. Her hips jerked, breaking his rhythm as she cried out again. "Almost there, Manda," he panted. She cried out once more, her entire body shaking as he feverishly stroked her again and again until his own release began. He stilled for a moment then slowly pumped his hips several more times, until he, too, was spent. He slipped free from her body and after she twisted around in his arms, he held her close. "Good morning," he whispered against her neck.

"Good morning, Sweetheart," Amanda replied. She clung to him, her heart still racing. "We should finish this shower soon. We've got to get the boys ready for school and Lauren should be dropping Charlie off this morning," she whispered huskily.

Lee nodded against her neck, "Yeah, and I have a meeting this morning with Dr. Smyth and the Joint Chiefs. They want a full report on Allistair's findings as well as the review on Project Family."

"Oh yeah?" Amanda sighed.

"But, what I really want to do right now is stay right here with you and not move for a couple of days," Lee admitted.

Amanda leaned back and brushed his wet hair off his forehead. She took notice of the bruising around his eye and asked, "How are you going to explain this?" She traced the edges of the black and blue lines on his cheek.

Lee shook his head and gave her a weak smile, "The truth if they ask. Old Man Torrey ought to get a kick out of it."

"And maybe you should check on Stanley today. Just to make sure his hand is okay," Amanda reminded him.

Lee stepped back under the streaming water and leaned his head back. He tugged Amanda under the water with him and kissed her once more. "I'll even bring him some lunch," he assured her. He plucked the bottle of shampoo off the shelf and squeezed a quarter-sized dollop into his hand before he buried them into Amanda's hair. He scrubbed her head gently, earning another happy hum from his wife. "What are you going to do today?" he questioned softly before rinsing her hair.

"If you keep that up, I'm going back to sleep," she sighed. Lee chuckled, his smile wide. "Actually, Francine asked me to help her out a little with a new case she's working on."

"Oh, really? I thought you were supposed to be on light duty," Lee reminded her.

Amanda assured him, "Don't worry, it seems like it's mostly research so far, although when she drove me home yesterday we stopped at Maggie and Tuck's to pick up some pamphlets. She wouldn't really tell me much, other than the fact she didn't want to go in the store alone. I guess she didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression."

"The wrong impression? About what?" Lee asked, confused.

"Well, Maggie and Tuck's is that maternity and baby store Mother and I went to and Francine was afraid if she went in there someone might think-" Amanda began to explain but Lee burst into laughter, cutting her off.

"Let me guess, she doesn't want anyone to think she might actually be pregnant, right?" Lee asked between laughs.

Amanda smiled at her husband, "I think so, something like that."

"Like that would ever happen!" Lee challenged. "Francine has a hard enough time being in the same room with kids. She'd be paralyzed with fear if she were actually pregnant."

Amanda pressed her lips together and scolded Lee, "That's not very nice. Francine just hasn't been exposed to children enough. Just think, once the girls are born and Auntie Francine is the godmother to one of them, well, she's just going to have to step up a little more."

Listening to Amanda sent Lee into another fit of giggles. Amanda rolled her eyes, grabbed the soap and immediately began washing her body. As her fingers slid along her belly, she could feel the babies beginning to move around. "Speaking of the girls," she stated before she pressed Lee's hand against her skin, "I think they're looking to say good morning also."

Lee cradled her rounded belly in both hands, stroking her wet skin with his thumbs. "I still can't believe there's two of them in there," he admitted. "You look so beautiful."

"Well, believe it. And I'll be honest, I don't feel like I'm looking so beautiful. Remember when I said I looked like a watermelon with legs… well, it's just beginning. I'm going to be even bigger and we still have three months to go. I'm going to be huge!" she complained.

"Don't worry, Amanda, you are beautiful. And as you can see, I find you, oh soo sexy, too," Lee teased.

"We'll see about that in another month or so when I can't tie my own shoes," Amanda sighed. "I'm going to get dressed, you finish your shower." She brushed her lips against his before she stepped out of the enclosure, leaving Lee alone.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"Scarecrow!" Billy's voice bellowed across the bullpen as Lee stood in the doorway talking to Maria, the newest addition to the Steno Pool. Lee's head snapped in Billy's direction. Billy waved his hand before he closed his office door.

"Thanks, Maria. If I need any more copies made, I'll ask," Lee smiled.

Maria sighed, "You're welcome, Mr. Stetson."

Lee strolled across the bullpen, his hands buried in his pockets. He knocked on Billy's door twice before he pushed it open and stepped inside. "Hey, Billy. What's up?" he asked with a smile.

Billy lifted his head from the report he was skimming and took one look at Lee before he exclaimed, "What happened to you?"

Lee reached up and touched the bruise along his cheekbone, "Um, Stanley and I had a missed cue."

He pointed his pen at Lee's leg. "Is that why you're limping, too?" Billy questioned.

Lee pursed his lips and nodded, "Yes and no."

"Stanley got you good. Do you think you might be getting too old for this?" Billy teased.

Lee shook his head and replied sarcastically, "Actually, Stanley didn't hurt my leg. The phone, falling off the wall when he punched it, did."

"The phone falling…." Billy's voice sputtered out as he snorted and howled with laughter.

"Gee, thanks, Billy," Lee rolled his eyes. He waited several more minutes for Billy to get himself under control. "Now, was there a reason you called me in here or was it just to laugh at me?" Lee asked sarcastically.

Coughing, Billy finally replied, "Actually I was wondering how your meeting went this morning. I haven't seen Dr. Smyth yet and he's usually in my office as soon as the meetings are adjourned."

Lee sat down and tenderly rubbed his thigh, "Surprisingly, it went well. They've asked for a three-month followup and to alert them immediately of any changes. Other than that, it was business as usual."

"That's good news. Those meetings can be a crapshoot at best," Billy nodded. Switching subjects he asked, "How is Amanda feeling these days?"

Lee smiled, "Pretty good. Tired but I guess that's to be expected. She had another appointment the other day. The doctor said everything looks good, the girls are getting bigger and as long as Amanda follows directions, things should continue to progress nicely."

"Well, she looks great for a woman carrying twins. I remember when Jeannie was pregnant with our second daughter. She complained continuously about her weight gain and how she'd never get it all off," Billy laughed.

Lee tipped his head to the side, remembering his conversation with Amanda in the shower that morning, "Yeah, she's having a little bit of that, too."

"Well, I'm going to say, it's been nice having her help around here. She's organized all the files down here and she's even helped a few of the new agents get acclimated. She's a natural at that sort of thing. I'm sure going to miss her when she's on Maternity Leave," Billy stated with a smile. "Heck, she's even made friends with a few of the girls in the Steno Pool," he added.

Lee chuckled, "Well, I wouldn't exactly call them friends. I think she's managed to squash the rumor mill quite a bit though."

"Even on her limited hours, she seems to get more work done than anyone else around here. Why is that?" Billy pondered.

"Because it's Amanda and when she sets her mind to something, boy oh boy, she's going to finish it," Lee complimented his wife.

Movement in the bullpen caught Billy's attention and with a grin he nodded at the window, "Speaking of Amanda, here she is now."

Lee followed his line of sight and found Amanda sitting on the edge of Francine's desk, talking to her. "Yeah, she mentioned this morning that Francine asked her to help out a little with a new case she's working on," Lee stated.

Amanda leaned closer to peer at Francine's computer screen, "That's all you found in her journal?" she asked.

Francine exhaled, "The hopeless ramblings of a pregnant college student wasn't as interesting as I hoped it would be. Other than the last few entries where she stated she was going to give the baby up for adoption, it's all just homesick babble, if you ask me."

"Ok, so what can I do to help?" Amanda smiled cheerfully. She glanced down at the stack of pamphlets they collected at Maggie and Tuck's.

"I'm not sure where to go next. Kidnapping, murder and missing infants aren't typically my forte," Francine admitted. She tapped her finger on the keyboard before she asked, "What would you do?"

Amanda's eyes widened in surprise, "You're asking me for help?" Francine shrugged her shoulders and nodded. "All right. Well, I would start by finding out all the information I could about the companies listed in these pamphlets. Did she mention any of them by name in her journal?"

Francine skimmed the report on the computer screen. "No, I don't think so. It just says here she picked the one she felt she trusted the most, whatever that means," Francine summarized.

Amanda scooped up the colored papers and suggested, "Well, I'm not working on anything else right now, so why don't I take these up to the Q Bureau and see what I can find. I still have a few hours left today before I need to pick up the boys from school."

Francine looked up and smiled, "Amanda, you really are a lifesaver. Tell you what, while you work on that, I'll take Edwards with me. We can visit all the dump sites and see if we find any clues the police may have missed."

"A little divide and conquer? Sounds like a pretty good plan to me. Besides, I think I like my end of the assignment just a little better," Amanda teased. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Billy's door open and Lee stepping into the bullpen. She turned her head with a wide smile as he approached. "Hello, Sweetheart. How was your meeting this morning?"

"My meeting went quite well, as a matter of fact. What are you two chatting about?" Lee asked. He noticed the papers in Amanda's hand and raised an eyebrow.

Francine stood and straightened her skirt as she stated, "I asked Amanda to help me out a little on this case. Edwards and I are going to check all the sites where the bodies were dumped and Amanda said she'd find out information on the computer for me. Hopefully, we can get Katsaros some answers. You know, I actually felt sorry for the man. His wife died a few years ago, now his daughter is murdered."

"Francine, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're getting soft," Lee teased.

Francine squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm not completely cold-hearted if that's what you think!" she hissed.

"I'm not saying that at all!" Lee retorted. "I know that under that tough exterior is a very soft, loving woman that is very good -" Beside him, Amanda cleared her throat as a small warning. "That is very good at her job," he quickly added with a tilt of his head.

"Well, thank you for noticing!" Francine snapped back. "Now, I'm going to find Edwards and get going."

Amanda shook her head in Lee's direction, "Don't worry, Francine. I'll leave what I find on my desk for you, for when you get back. And I'll take care of him, later."

"What do you mean, you'll take care of me, later?" Lee asked as Francine chuckled and walked away.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Detective Bagley, I see you got my message," Francine called out.

Detective Bagley jogged across the trash-strewn lot to meet Francine and Tom Edwards where they waited. "Yeah, I was just heading out to lunch when dispatch grabbed me. Not what I was expecting to do this afternoon," he stated. He looked around and pointed to the area still marked off with police tape. "That's the spot over there where the latest victim was found. What exactly are you looking for?"

Francine walked purposefully toward the corner of the lot, Tom followed closely behind. "I'm not really sure. We want to take a look at all the locations, see if there's anything your boys may have missed," she stated, looking around.

Francine stopped walking but Tom ducked under the police tape to get closer to the dumpster. He stood on his tiptoes and peered inside only to find the dumpster empty. He raised his hand to get Detective Bagley's attention but before he could say anything the portly detective stated, "We had everything brought to the crime lab at the State Police barracks. They went through everything but didn't find anything."

Francine surveyed the area and took careful notes about the surrounding buildings. "Detective, most of these buildings around here are unoccupied, is that correct?" she asked as she pointed.

"You're correct, Ms. Desmond. All the buildings in this section are either abandoned or listed for lease by owner," Detective Bagley replied.

"How often does the dumpster get emptied?" she questioned.

Detective Bagley blinked then admitted, "I don't follow."

"Well, here's a dumpster that is still actively being used if it was full enough for you to have to go through the contents. That means two things. One, someone is still using it regularly and two, that someone is paying a company to empty it," she reasoned.

"We didn't look into that. We just naturally assumed it was abandoned like everything else around here," Detective Bagley admitted.

Tom spoke up, "There's a sticker here on the side. Atlas Dumpster. And a phone number."

"Write it down. We'll check it out later," she directed. She looked around once more. "There's not much else here, so let's head to the location for victim number seven," Francine declared.

Detective Bagley waved his hand and said, "Follow me. It's about a ten-minute ride from here."

Francine and Edwards followed Detective Bagley to the other seven dump sites, each one yielding roughly the same results. The surrounding buildings were empty or abandoned with an active dumpster on site. The dumpsters, however, were marked by five different companies with different phone numbers. The trio parted ways after deciding they were not going to glean any additional clues from the empty lots.

Back at the Agency, Francine delegated Tom the job of researching all the dumpster companies while she was going to go over Amanda's findings on the pamphlets. "We can meet again in the morning to go over anything you find, okay?" Francine declared.

"Would you mind if I left early today? I know tomorrow's Saturday but I'm still on the duty roster this weekend and I'll be here early. It's just… I promised Lauren I would pick up Charlie for her this afternoon. It's tax season and she needs to finish up a bunch of things at work," Tom explained.

Francine fought the urge to snap at him with a scathing comment about how Charlie wasn't really his responsibility. She remembered a conversation, just after Amanda had come back from California, that Lee made a comment very similar about needing to leave to get Amanda's boys. At that time, she was not aware of how involved Lee and Amanda truly were. She angered him with her sharp tongue when she stated Philip and Jamie were not his problem. She sighed and conceded, "Sure, just make sure it gets done before our ten o'clock meeting. I want to give Billy some kind of indication we're actually doing something."

A smile cracked Tom's face as he thanked her, "I promise, I'll be here no later than seven-thirty and I'll have it all done before the meeting." He turned to walk away but stopped once more. "Francine, I really appreciate you giving me another chance."

Francine bit her lip to hide the grin that threatened. "Go, before I change my mind," she stated. She chuckled softly as he carefully long-stepped across the bullpen to the awaiting elevator. "I must be getting soft," she muttered before she pulled out her chair. "Amanda said she'd leave it in the Q Bureau," Francine reminded herself. She pushed the chair back in and headed in the same direction Tom just went.

In the hall, Francine saw Leatherneck pressing the button for the elevator. "Up or down?" she asked.

"Huh?" Leatherneck replied, confused.

"Are you heading up or down?" Francine clarified.

"Oh, up. How are you, Francine?" Leatherneck smiled.

Francine returned his smile and laughed, "Better now. What are you working on? I thought you and Amanda were running background checks on the new recruits?"

"We are, which is why I'm headed up to the Q to see what she found for me," Leatherneck explained. The doors to the elevator slid open and he held the jackets aside for Francine to join him.

"Well, Mrs. Stetson is really in demand these days. She's also doing a little research for me as well," Francine laughed. She waited patiently as the elevator ascended, suddenly aware of how close she and Leatherneck were standing. She could smell his cologne, the deep musky scent that had become uniquely Leatherneck.

The doors slid open and Leatherneck held his hand out, "Ladies first. Hello, Mrs. Marston."

"Leatherneck, Ms. Desmond. Mrs. Stetson asked me to leave a message for you both. I'm not her personal secretary but under the circumstances, I don't mind," Mrs. Martson began.

"Circumstances? What circumstances?" Francine stammered. "Is Amanda okay?"

Mrs. Marston nodded, "Mrs. Stetson is just fine. She was feeling a little tired. Scarecrow brought her home, however, she did ask me to tell you both your files are on her desk, labeled."

Francine exhaled the breath she was holding. "Oh, good. Thank you, Mrs. Marston."

Mrs. Marston reached into the top drawer of her desk, "One more thing. You're going to need this." She held up the small keyring Amanda had given her.

"Right," Leatherneck drew out as he took the key from the other woman. "Thank you very much. Did Mrs. Stetson say anything else?"

"Just return the key to me when you're finished, please," Mrs. Martston stated. She folded her hands and settled them on the desk before her.

Leatherneck tossed the key in his hand and assured her, "Will do. We shouldn't be too long anyway. Right, Francine?"

Francine shook her head in agreement, "No more than a few minutes I would think. Thanks again." She headed up the stairs, her heels clicking loudly on the wood risers, Leatherneck only a few steps behind her.

Once inside the Q Bureau, Francine lifted the file folders on the left marked, Francine before she handed Leatherneck his stack, also carefully labeled. She began skimming the first sheet of research and hummed, "Hmmmm."

"What?" Leatherneck replied automatically.

"Oh, sorry. Nothing. It just amazes me how thorough that woman is," Francine commented.

Leatherneck furrowed his brow, "Mrs. Marston? Sure she's thorough but she can't hit a target for beans, even with an automatic weapon."

"No, Amanda. She has everything in here…company name, parent corporation, owner, headquarter's addresses. Heck, she even has annual contributions and income, as well as, how many employees each company maintains," Francine remarked as she flipped the pages and scanned the information. "Boy, I don't think I would ever want to get on Amanda's bad side. She'd find all the dirt on me in a heartbeat."

"But the difference between Mrs. Stetson and the rest of us is she wouldn't actually use that information," Leatherneck stated.

Francine shook her head, "I wouldn't be so sure about that. If I remember, a few years ago she convinced me to give her a picture and the negative of Lee wearing a basket on his head, popping a champagne bottle from that celebration we had. From what Lee told me, she got dinner at Spencer's and he had to type his own reports for a week. I think there is a little bit of a devious side to Amanda. She just manages to hide it better than the rest of us."

Leatherneck snapped his fingers, "Wait, was that the party where Roxanne got on the table…"

"That's the one! Roxanne can't go into Nedlingers without half the bar shouting out her name," Francine laughed.

"Well, I bet that's not the only reason they're shouting her name. From what I hear, she has quite a reputation," Leatherneck surmised as he arranged the stack of files in his arm. "And I'm sure if Amanda did a bang-up job on your research, she's knocked mine out of the park." He checked his watch, "I should get back downstairs. I have two of the newbies coming in to range-qualify."

Francine followed him back into the hallway and locked the door. They returned to the lobby and handed Mrs. Marston the keys. Francine continued to follow Leatherneck into the elevator. "So, what is on your agenda for this evening?" Francine asked.

Leatherneck shook his head slowly, "Not a single thing. I figured I would head home, pop a cold beer and order some pizza for dinner."

"Sounds heavenly," Francine sighed.

"So why don't you join me? I can't eat the whole thing myself and I know you like the pizza joint right down the street from my place. I can be finished in the next ninety minutes and meet you in the bullpen if you're interested," Leatherneck offered.

Francine smiled and nodded, "You know what, I think I will. I don't have any plans for tonight either so…"

"It sounds like a date to me. I'll see you in the bullpen in a little bit," Leatherneck announced just as the elevator doors opened.

"In a little bit, yeah," Francine smiled again and watched Leatherneck head down the hall.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"Amanda, I was thinking…why don't we have your baby shower here, at the house? I mean, we have plenty of room. You won't have to worry about lugging the gifts anywhere but up the stairs," Dotty rambled as she sipped her coffee.

Amanda shook her head, "I don't know, Mother, I feel kind of silly having a baby shower. I mean, it's not like it's my first baby…"

"But it is Lee's. Come on, it will be fun. We can have one of those… what do they call them… Jack and Jill parties!" Dotty exclaimed. She waved her hand around excitedly. "We can invite Mr. Melrose and his wife, Jeannie, Lee's friend, Leatherneck, Francine, and we can't forget Bob, Harry, and Christina."

"Mother, I'm not so sure the guys are going to want to hang around with a bunch of ladies opening baby gifts," Amanda insisted.

"Nonsense! Philip and Jamie should be there, too. After all, they are going to be big brothers to the girls," Dotty continued. She stopped long enough to take a sip of her coffee again. "Have you and Lee put any more thought into names for the girls?"

Amanda sighed, "We have a little bit but it's so hard. I really want to help honor his parents' memories and use their names somehow, but Lee insists he doesn't want to. He says it might be too much on them when they are older and they ask what happened to them, you know?"

"What do you mean, what happened to them? I thought they died in a car accident when Lee was five?" Dotty questioned, confused.

"Well, they did, Mother, which is pretty sad. And I don't think Lee wants to be reminded of that all the time. I mean, I can understand that, but I still would like to do something," Amanda explained.

Dotty shook her head, "So what names have you come up with?"

"Well, I like Kaylee, Sophia or Sophie, Kate, Johanna, Patrice, and Hillary but Lee doesn't seem real thrilled with any of those," Amanda rattled the names off.

"Okay, what names does he like?" Dotty pried.

Amanda rested her hand on her chin, "That's just it. I don't know. I mean, we talk about names in the car, at work, when we're alone but he hasn't really said much. I just don't know what to think."

Dotty gave her daughter a weak smile and said, "I think you just need to give him a little time, dear. After all, this is all new to him. He might be feeling a little overwhelmed still."

Amanda sat up, her eyes wide, "Do you think so, Mother?"

Dotty shrugged her shoulders, "Well, not that you say that, he has been awfully quiet lately whenever anything is mentioned about getting ready for the girls. I mean, look at what happened the other day when you asked him to help pick out paint swatches."

"Mother!" Amanda groaned. "He got called into work. He couldn't have known the phone was going to ring at that exact moment."

"No, but he never did help choose a color, now did he?" Dotty reminded her.

"Mo-ther," Amanda admonished once more. "I think you're looking at something that just isn't there. Lee's excited about the girls, I'm sure of it."

Dotty stood, lifted her coffee mug, and waved her hand, "If you say so." She sauntered into the family room and sat on the couch. "I think you should sit down and talk to him," she called back in Amanda's direction.

Amanda sighed. "You bet I'll do exactly that," she stated softly.

"What was that, Dear?" Dotty called out.

"Nothing, Mother. I'm going to go measure the room once more to make sure the furniture is going to fit the way we want it," Amanda replied louder. She pulled a small tape measure out of a drawer in the kitchen and headed up the stairs and down the hall to the bedroom just past Dotty's that would become the twins' room. She stepped inside and closed the door. With a heavy sigh, she surveyed the empty room. She started measuring from one corner to the other then stopped. "I know what I need to do," she decided and left the room to return to the kitchen.

"Mother, do you know where that roll of tape is?" Amanda asked.

"What tape?" Dotty returned.

"The masking tape. The one we got the boys for that paint project they were working on," Amanda explained.

Dotty nodded her head, "The tape is in the drawer next to the sink, along with the receipt from the furniture store."

Amanda chuckled, "How did you know I was going to ask for that next?"

Dotty sat up higher on the couch and smiled at her daughter, "Because you did the same thing when I first moved into the house on Maplewood with you."

Amanda laughed back once again, "Well, I just want to make it easy, that's all. If we know where everything is going to be placed, it will just make the delivery process go that much easier."

"I didn't say it was a bad idea, Darling, but do you really think you should be doing that alone?" Dotty questioned.

"I'll be fine, Mother. I'm just putting tape on the rug. It's not like I'm moving the furniture myself," Amanda stated. She turned back into the kitchen, found the roll of tape she was looking for and headed back up the steps. She closed the door behind her once more and sighed loudly. Thirty minutes later she heard a soft knock on the door.

"Amanda?" Lee called as he stepped into the room. "Amanda, why are you on the floor? Are you okay? You didn't fall did you?" he worriedly fired off the questions before Amanda could reply.

Amanda looked up and held up her hand, "Sweetheart, I'm fine. But I could use a little help." She held her hand out and Lee helped pull her to a standing position slowly.

"What are you doing in here? What's all this?" Lee indicated the taped off areas on the floor.

"Well, I was trying to figure out the best place to put the cribs and the bureaus, not to mention the changing table," Amanda explained. She pointed to one smaller rectangular shape and asked "What do you think? Should it go here or over there?" Amanda indicated another smaller shape across the room between two longer shapes.

Lee ran his hand through his hair nervously and asked, "What are those?"

Amanda crossed the room and stood between the two shapes. "This is where I was thinking the cribs could go. But I thought maybe if they were against the wall we'd have a little more room to move between them. So if the changing table went here, under the window, then when we have to change diapers in the middle of the night, everything is all right here," she explained in one breath.

"Um, I guess that works," Lee stuttered. He looked around the room again and sighed.

"Do you really like the paint the boys chose?" Amanda asked, trying to draw information from him to glean how he was feeling. Something about the look on his face worried her.

Lee nodded, "The color is fine but are you sure you want to go with yellow? I thought you would want pink."

"We can go with pink if that's what you want," Amanda assured him.

"No, no, the boys chose yellow so let's stick with yellow," Lee shook his head.

Amanda put her arms around Lee's waist and rested her head against his shoulder, "Sweetheart, is something wrong?"

Lee gave her a slight squeeze, "Nothing's wrong. Seeing this just makes everything feel a little more real, you know. I don't know how to explain it."

"Let me guess. You're getting a little nervous? Don't be nervous," Amanda assured him again. She kissed his cheek lovingly. She felt Lee relax in her arms slightly. "You want to laugh? Mother suggested we have a Jack and Jill baby shower, here at the house."

"Wait, is that when you invite guys to the party too?" Lee asked.

"Yup. She suggested Billy and even Leatherneck," Amanda laughed. She turned her chin to look up at Lee's face and for the first time since he walked in the door, he smiled.

Lee laughed with her, "I'm not so sure about Leatherneck but I'll bet anything Billy would go."

"I guess she and I will have to sit down and talk about a guest list. I'm just not sure I want anything big. I just feel funny asking people to bring gifts. I mean, since the boys were little, I've done most everything on my own and to ask others to help…" Amanda's voice faded as she slipped into thought.

Lee gave her a squeeze, "Hey, if I've learned anything from you, I have learned it's okay to ask for help and more importantly, we should celebrate with family and friends." He slid his hand down her arm to rest on the side of her belly. "I may be pretty nervous about what's going to happen when the girls are finally born but I know we're going to have help. That makes me feel a little better."

"I love you," Amanda sighed against his chest.

Lee pressed his lips to her forehead and whispered, "I love you, too."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Saturday morning, Lee woke before anyone else in the house. He quietly padded down to the kitchen and got a pot of coffee started. He looked at the clock on the wall and groaned when he realized it was only six-thirty in the morning. He scratched his head before he sighed and headed to the front door to get the newspaper. Once he collected the paper, he turned to head back into the kitchen. He glanced up the stairs, at the darkened hallway, and stopped. He dropped the paper onto the bottom step and ascended the stairs to the second level. He silently moved down the hallway, to the end where the empty nursery sat. He opened the door and stepped inside.

"Soon… soon this room will be filled with furniture and baby things…" Lee whispered. He scrubbed his face with one hand and stared at the tape outlines on the floor. "Two cribs… two dressers… a changing table… and soon… two tiny little people that will depend on me to keep them safe. I just hope I don't let them down," he whispered softly.

"I don't think that will ever happen," Dotty's voice drifted into the room from the doorway.

Lee spun around to face her, his heart hammered in his chest. "Dotty, you scared me. I'm sorry if I woke you."

Dotty smiled at her son-in-law, "You didn't wake me. The wonderful smell of coffee did." She stepped further into the room and put her hand on Lee's arm. "Lee, if I can just say something… I don't want you to think I was eavesdropping. The door was open and I was just coming to close it… but I couldn't help overhear you."

"Um, yeah," Lee stammered. He ran his hand through his hair nervously. "I was just… just…"

"Just talking it out. Lee, it's okay to be scared. You should have seen Amanda and Joe before Philip was born. They were so worried everything was going to go wrong but when they brought him home, they saw there was nothing to be worried about. I mean, you always worry about something. After all, that's part of being a parent, but it's going to be just fine. Take my word for it," Dotty assured him.

Lee sighed sheepishly, "I'm just not sure how I'm going to do it. I don't want to let Amanda down."

"Lee Stetson, don't you dare think for one second you're gonna let my daughter down!" Dotty admonished him. "You've been a wonderful husband and stepfather to the boys since last summer and I know you well enough to know you're not the type of man to just willingly let anyone down. Those babies are going to be so lucky to have you for a father."

Lee gave Dotty a tentative smile then blinked several times before he said, "Thanks, Dotty. I guess I needed to hear that." He glanced around the room at the pale blue walls and smiled wider as an idea formulated in his mind. "Hey, can I ask you to help me with a surprise for Amanda today?" he asked.

Dotty put her arms around Lee and gave him a solid hug as she stated, "Of course! Just tell me what you need me to do."

Lee dropped his arm across Dotty's shoulders and led her into the hallway. He stopped long enough to close the door behind them and quietly guided Dotty to the kitchen. He poured two mugs of coffee and as he handed Dotty her mug, he asked, "Can you take Amanda out for a few hours? I think I'm going to recruit the boys to help me out with something."

"Sure, what should I do?" Dotty questioned, intrigued by his sudden change of mood.

Lee winked at Dotty, his hazel eyes flashing playfully as he said, "How about a girls day… you know, get your nails done, do some shopping, go to the movies maybe? Just the two of you."

"Shopping? Movies? How long do you want me to keep her out?" Dotty's eyes widened.

"Four, five hours should be enough. I'll even pay for everything. Please," Lee begged, his hazel eyes pleading.

Dotty studied his face before she agreed, "Of course. I'm not sure what you have in mind but I hope it's worth it."

Lee grabbed her hand, squeezed it before kissing her knuckles. "Thanks, Dotty! You're a huge help!"

Dotty pulled her hand away and rested it against her chest as she smiled. "Well, I'm not really sure what I just agreed to but if that look in your eyes is any indication, Amanda is going to be so happy."

"I hope so. Now, I just need to head into the office and make a quick phone call, so if Amanda wakes up before I'm out, don't say anything to her just yet. I want to see her reaction," Lee stated with a grin. He took his coffee mug and with a slight spring in his step, headed into the office where he dialed Billy's direct number.

"Melrose," Billy barked into the phone.

"Hey Billy, it's Scarecrow," Lee replied. He took a large swig of his coffee before he continued, "Listen, I need a little advice."

On the other end of the phone, Billy was also drinking his coffee. "Advice? At this time of the morning? What did you do now?" he laughed.

Lee chuckled along with Billy, "Nothing, or at least nothing I know of. No, I want to do something special for Amanda, before the babies come. Have you got any ideas?"

"Something special? Are you sure you didn't do anything wrong?" Billy teased.

"I'm serious, Billy. I've been… well… I guess I've been a little distant lately, worried about what's going to happen when the girls are born that I think I owe it to Amanda to do something nice for her to show her-" Lee rambled until Billy's laughter cut him off.

"I never thought I'd live to see the day when Scarecrow admits he's worried about a baby, never mind his own!" Billy howled.

Lee groaned, "Come on, Billy, I need some help here!"

Billy chuckled loudly a few more times before he responded, "All right. Before our second daughter was born, I made sure to spend extra time with her. Candlelit dinners once a week, just the two of us."

Lee smiled, "Yeah, that's a great idea. Dotty's been going out with her ladies' group and I'm sure I could talk to Joe about taking the boys one night a week. Thanks, Billy."

"Don't thank me. Just be sure you don't slip up. Poor Amanda has so many hormones running through her, you don't know how she's bound to react," Billy reminded him.

Lee could hear footsteps on the stairs above the office, so he took this as a cue to end his conversation. "Thanks for the reminder. I gotta go. I'll see you first thing Monday morning." He hung up the phone, grabbed his coffee and stepped out into the foyer as Jamie headed into the kitchen. "Hey, Chief," Lee called to him.

"Morning, Lee," his youngest stepson replied.

"Is your brother awake yet?" Lee asked as he fell in step with Jamie.

Jamie nodded as he slipped onto one of the kitchen stools, "Yeah, I heard him in the bathroom. What's up?"

Lee grinned, his dimples deep. "Nothing much. I was just hoping I could convince you two to help me out today with a surprise for your mother, that's all."

"What kind of a surprise?" Jamie questioned.

"Just something I know she'll love and I know I won't be able to get it all done on my own," Lee admitted.

Jamie caught sight of Philip sauntering down the stairs. "Hey, Philip, Lee needs our help today. Do you have any plans?"

"Not really. I was just going to head over to Reggie's house later to hang out but what's up?" Philip asked.

"I was thinking of a surprise for your mother today. Dotty has agreed to get her out of the house for a few hours, so what do you say? You in?" Lee explained cryptically.

Philip looked at Jamie and gave a solid nod of his head as he stated, "If it's for Mom, I'm in."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Later that afternoon, Amanda and Dotty walked into the house, laughing. "I still can't believe I fell asleep during that movie, Mother," Amanda giggled.

"Well, I thought that movie, "She's Having a Baby" would be a lot better than it was. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was interesting watching the movie from his point of view, but really, too many dreams and situations that were so unneeded if you ask me. And that French model? What was that all about?" Dotty rambled.

"What French model?" Amanda stopped laughed, suddenly confused.

"Oh, the one he wanted to have an affair with. Oh, that must have been right around the time you started snoring," Dotty teased.

"I wasn't snoring!" Amanda insisted.

Dotty laughed as she said, "Don't be so sure about that, Darling."

Amanda shook her head. She looked around the kitchen and noticed they were all alone. "I wonder where everyone is? Lee's car's here and so is my car," she observed. She wrinkled her nose and added, "What's that smell?"

From the second floor, Jamie shouted excitedly, "Mom! You're home! You need to see what we did today!"

"Jamie? Sweetheart? Where are you?" Amanda called back.

Without a reply, Jamie rushed down the stairs to meet Amanda and Dotty. He grabbed her hand and tugged her to follow him. "Come on!" he encouraged, drawing a laugh from both Amanda and her mother. Halfway up the steps, he let go of her hand and ran down the hallway yelling, "They're back!"

"What's gotten into you today?" Amanda questioned as she tried to catch up to her son. She watched him disappear into the babies' room and she shook her head. "What do you think they've been up to?" she asked. Dotty simply shook her head with a smile. Amanda stopped in her tracks and asked, "Mother, what do you know about this?"

"Well, I know Lee wanted to do something nice for you today and he asked the boys to help him," Dotty admitted.

"Wait one minute. Are you trying to tell me, you're in on this, too?" Amanda demanded.

Dotty smiled, "Just a little bit. I only promised Lee I would take you out for the afternoon. I don't know exactly what they've been up to but I do know Lee was pretty excited about it."

Before Amanda could reply she heard Lee call out, "Amanda?"

"Let's go see what this big surprise is," Amanda declared. She linked her arm in Dotty's and together they moved down the hall to the partially opened door. As they approached, the smell became stronger. "That smells like-" Amanda began but Lee cut her off when he pulled the door open revealing a freshly painted room. "Sweetheart! Did you all do this?" Amanda asked as she looked around the room.

"We did!" Lee stated happily. "The boys and I did it while you were out."

Amanda looked from one pale yellow wall to the other but stopped when she saw the outside wall where she had considered placing the cribs. "Wait, why is that wall pink?" she asked.

Lee grinned at Jamie and with a nod, he explained, "Well, the boys and I thought adding pink to the room somehow would make it special. And the clerk at the paint store explained that adding an accent wall like this was pretty popular so, here it is." Lee swept his arm in the direction of the pink wall.

Amanda teared up as she reached out to hug her boys. "Thank you. This was very sweet."

She cradled Lee's face with one hand over Jamie's head and pushed up onto her toes to kiss him softly. "I don't know what else to say," she admitted.

"Do you like it, Mom?" Philip asked with his brow raised.

"I love it. It's perfect. And your sisters will love it too just because you boys did it," Amanda assured him.

Dotty surveyed the room and nodded, "That bed set you chose will look amazing in here. It's the exact shade of pink, too. How did you know?" Dotty raised an eyebrow at Lee.

"We took the package with us," Jamie informed her.

"And the man at the store used some fancy scanner to match the colors exactly. He even showed us a section of the store that had curtains, too, just in case we needed them," Philip continued.

Amanda tipped her head and smiled again, "Oh he did, did he?"

Lee ruffled Philip's hair as he added, "We didn't buy any curtains. I figured you'd want to pick those out yourself, but we did get this." He turned away and reached into the closet. Slowly, he pulled out a framed poster. He slowly rotated the picture, revealing the image of a pastel rainbow and in the distance, a hot air balloon with the caption, "Somewhere over the rainbow." "Now, I know it doesn't exactly match the teddy bear theme you picked out for the girls but-" Lee said softly before Amanda threw her arms around his neck, "It's perfect, Sweetheart."

"See, I told you," Philip nudged Jamie with his elbow. "Chicks dig this stuff."

Dotty rolled her eyes at her grandsons and gently guided them toward the door. "How about I make you boys a snack for all your hard work today?" She closed the door behind her leaving Amanda and Lee alone in the room.

"Are you sure the colors are okay?" Lee asked. He scanned the room, searching for any missed spots or drip marks on the wall.

"Lee, I can't believe you did all this with the boys while we were out," Amanda gasped.

"It wasn't all that hard. I mean, I cut the paint around the doorways and the window and each boy took a yellow wall while I worked on the pink one. Are you sure you like the pink wall?" Lee explained.

Amanda gave him another squeeze, "I love the pink wall and the girls are going to love it too, simply because their daddy did it for them with their big brothers."

Lee sighed happily. "I guess it does look pretty good, doesn't it," he nodded. "Amanda, I'm sorry if I've been a little… I don't know… distant lately," Lee began. He took both her hands in his paint flecked ones. "I guess, I… I guess it's all starting to become a reality and, well, I guess I'm a little scared is all. I don't want to make a mistake or not be there for them or you when I'm really needed, you know," Lee admitted softly. He dropped his chin and toyed with her wedding rings.

Amanda lifted his chin with her fingers and stated, "Lee, I told you before. I'm scared too. I've never had a girl before, never mind twin girls. I don't know what to expect either. So, we're going to get through this together."

Lee sighed softly before he asked, "What did I do to deserve you?"

Amanda pushed up onto her toes and kissed his cheek. "The same thing I did to deserve you. Now, why don't you get washed up and I'll make a special dinner for all your hard work today," she said.

Lee lifted his eyebrows and smiled, "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, how about some steaks and baked potatoes?" Amanda suggested.

"Just like a couple of regular people?" Lee teased at the reference.

Amanda smiled in return, "Well, you know, we are regular people now. Two cars, a mortgage, a couple of kids." She emphasized her last point with a rub of her belly.

Lee covered her hand with his and laughed, "A couple more kids you mean. We already have a couple of great boys, thanks to you."

Amanda blushed, "I can't take all the credit. Since Joe's been back from Estoccia, it has been a little easier and of course, they're older now, than when we first met. And Mother's been a big help since they were little."

Lee shook his head. "That's not what I mean, Amanda. You've always been the one there for them, their whole lives. I just hope I can do the same for our girls."

"And you will be," Amanda assured him. "Lee, have you thought about names yet? I mean, I don't want to push you if you're not ready to talk about names just yet."

Lee rubbed her belly one last time before he cradled her jaw with one hand, "I have and I have a few ideas. I promise you, we will sit down and come up with a full list of names, soon."

"Mom? Lee?" Jamie called from the other end of the hall.

Amanda smiled, touched Lee's hand with her own and said, "I think they're looking for us."

"Let's go find out why," Lee smiled back.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

While Lee and the boys were painting, Francine and Tom Edwards were analyzing his notes on the dumpster and waste removal companies he had researched. "Edwards, I have to say, your research is almost as comparable as Amanda's. You've got everything in here," Francine complimented him.

"Well, not everything. I talked to every single place and there's no connection between them. The dumpsters are picked up on a rotating schedule, each one paid for by different accounts. I traced the accounts back to their origination points and there is no link between any of them," Edwards announced.

"So, that is a dead-end, I guess," Francine exhaled. She snapped the file in her hand closed and tossed it onto the pile on the conference room table. "I won't say it wasn't a good thought though. What about the medical reports? Was there anything in those we missed?"

Tom flipped through his notes and shook his head, "I don't see anything. All the official causes of death were the same except for the last one. We just got that report from the medical examiner's office. The official cause of death was hemorrhaging. From what he wrote here, it appeared the woman suffered from something called Placenta Accreta. Now, I pulled out a medical dictionary when I was down in research and it says here that Placenta Accreta is the abnormal adherence of the chorion of the placenta to the myometrium of the uterus."

Francine blinked at Edwards several times before she stated, "In English this time." Tom exhaled loudly and grabbed another book from the table. Francine read the title aloud. "What To Expect When You're Expecting. Now, that sounds like it came from Amanda's personal library," she joked.

"No, but she was the one that inspired that one. I bought it at the bookstore down the street. In this book, it explains that it's a serious condition that occurs when the placenta grows too deeply into the uterine wall," Tom read.

"I get it sounds serious but how did this cause the death of the last victim?" Francine questioned.

"It says it can cause major hemorrhaging," Tom continued.

Francine tapped her nails on the table as she thought. "So, they didn't have to use heparin on this victim because she died naturally?" Francine surmised.

Tom shrugged his shoulders, "I guess you could put it that way. But it still doesn't get us any closer to who is doing this."

"No, but it does tell us that whoever is doing this has basic medical knowledge and possibly a medical license. I mean, it's not like you can just go buy these drugs off the counter," Francine stated.

Tom grabbed a pen and began making notes, "So, we are looking for a doctor… what about a midwife? I was reading about midwives in this book and it says they can perform almost all the duties a doctor can."

"Including writing prescriptions?" Francine asked.

Tom nodded, "Including writing prescriptions."

"All right then, get a list of all midwives and doctors in the DC area," Francine declared.

Tom's eyes widened, "Do you have any idea how long that list is going to be? How many hospitals, private practices, clinics there are?"

Francine slumped in her chair, "You're right. That was stupid. I'm just completely stumped."

Tom juggled the pen in his fingers for a moment before he suggested, "What if we go back to those pamphlets? I mean, there must be something in there. We can start fresh. Go with what we know versus what we don't know."

Francine leaned forward, "Okay, you start with those, I'll go through the files from Detective Bagley again." She pushed the file folders into a neat stack, opened the first one and began reading the handwritten notes. Tom looked at Amanda's notes and began flipping through each pamphlet, slowly making notes of his own. After an hour, Francine sighed as she closed the fourth file, "I can't read any more. This man's writing is atrocious."

Tom, on the other hand, sat up excitedly in his chair, "Francine, look at this." He spread three pamphlets out on the table for her to see.

"What am I looking at?" she asked, confused.

"I looked at all the pamphlets that Damaris Kataros had in that bag. I discarded the ones about getting assistance if she was keeping the baby since, we know from her father, she decided she was going to give him up," he began.

"Okay," Francine confirmed.

Tom pointed to one pamphlet, "Now, this one is professionally printed, high-quality paper, color images. Looks like someone has gone to a lot of trouble to make this, where these two other ones are just a piece of colored paper with information printed in black ink. Like someone copied a nicer one onto the paper."

"So, maybe they just ran out of the nicer ones and made copies while they waited to get new ones in stock," Francine suggested.

"Or maybe they were trying to attract attention by having a better flyer," Tom suggested.

Francine compared the flyers and added, "That's a pretty big assumption."

"Well, we know all the women, according to family and friends, were giving up their babies for adoption, right?" Tom stated.

"Yes, but-" Francine started.

Tom quickly cut her off, "So, why don't we find out if the families knew which agency the women chose to go through. It would seem logical that you would use an agency. I mean, they screen the families, have lawyers to help you, at least that's what these pamphlets all lead you to believe."

Francine considered Tom's suggestion. "You want to question the families and then what? Cross-reference the information?"

"It's a start," Tom insisted.

Francine glanced at her watch then sighed loudly, "I don't think we'll get anywhere today. It's almost time for our meeting, plus it's the weekend. Let's start the interviews first thing Monday morning. And, between now and then, maybe we can figure out if there is any other connection between the victims."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll start creating a chart, using the victims' names and anything else that looks like it might be helpful. Then we just need to start filling in the blanks," Tom stated. "I'm here tomorrow, too. I'll have all day to work on it."

"Don't you have anything else to do?" Francine asked as she stood slowly, arranging the files again.

Tom shook his head, "Here? No. This is the only thing I'm working on. I'm kind of glad, too. I've been able to help Lauren plan Charlie's first birthday in a few weeks. She's been so busy with her new job that she hasn't had a lot of extra time."

Francine smiled, "You and Lauren are still seeing each other?"

"Um, yeah," Tom replied shyly as he stacked the pamphlets into a pile.

"That doesn't sound like a confident answer," Francine teased.

Tom continued to clear the conference table, "It's complicated. And I'm trying really hard to follow all the suggestions the psych doctors have been giving me. Taking things slowly, at Lauren's pace. Somedays, I feel like it's too slow but I can't push her and I shouldn't push her. I care about her… and Charlie. I'm not sure if what I'm doing is the right thing or not."

Francine lifted the stack of files and placed them into the box. She took the pamphlets from Tom and arranged them in the box as well. "How does Lauren feel?"

"I think she likes me. I know she likes my company and now she's appreciating the help with Charlie. I can't believe he's gonna be a year old," Tom replied wistfully. "You know he's starting to really talk now. Dotty has been such a huge help, too. I think Lauren really feels comfortable with her."

"Yes, well, Amanda's mother has that effect on people," Francine smiled. "She's everyone's mother, whether you want it or not," she added with a laugh.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Monday morning, Francine and Edwards made their first stop at the home of the family of victim number three, a young woman named Emma Fenalli. "Mrs. Fenalli, we know this must be a difficult time for you and your family but we need to ask a few questions that could help in our investigation," Francine stated softly.

The older woman nodded and opened the door for them to enter. "I'm sorry about the mess. I just haven't been myself since Emma…" her voice trailed off.

"We understand," Edwards stated. He looked around the small kitchen. He noticed a cup of tea on the table and held out the chair for her to sit.

Mrs. Fenalli thanked him. "It's nice to see some young men still have manners. That boy Emma was with never had any," she said before she lifted her tea to her lips. "Would you like some? The kettle's still hot," she offered.

Tom held up one hand and shook his head. Francine lifted a mug out of the drying rack on the counter, "That would be nice. I can get it." She removed a teabag from the open box and poured the steaming water. "My grandmother used to say tea could cure everything," she laughed lightly.

"Not everything, but it does help," Mrs. Fenalli corrected her.

Francine sat at the table across from the woman and waited until Tom pulled out the pamphlets from his pocket. "Mrs. Fenalli, do any of these look familiar to you?" he asked. He pushed them toward her across the chipped tile-topped table.

"Yes," she replied.

"Yes?" Francine raised her eyebrows.

"Yes," Mrs. Fenalli stated again.

Tom tapped his finger on the edge of one of the pamphlets, "Which one do you recognize?"

"All of them. Emma looked into all her options before she decided she was going to give her baby up," Mrs. Fenalli explained.

"Oh," Francine gasped. "Well, do you know which one she decided to go with?"

Mrs. Fenalli lifted one of the pamphlets and handed it to Francine, "This one, The Happy Family. She met with the counselors and the lawyers there. She was convinced they would find the right home for the baby."

Tom quickly jotted down the information. "Mrs. Fenalli, do you remember the names of the people she met with," he asked.

Mrs. Fenalli shook her head, "No, I'm sorry. I just remember she came home from the meeting and told me she knew she was making the right decision. She was still so young and she knew we weren't in a position to help her. She felt this was the best choice for her baby. But, now, we'll never know." She sniffed several times, fighting back her tears.

"We'll find who did this to her," Francine assured her.

Mrs. Fenalli brushed her tears away and stated, "That's exactly what that detective said to us. And I hope you do."

Francine quickly drank the rest of her tea, placed the mug in the sink, and pushed her chair in at the table. "If we have any more questions, would you mind if we came to see you again?" she asked softly.

"Please do. I want to find who did this to her and I only pray that whoever it was, they didn't hurt the baby," Mrs. Fenalli sighed.

Edwards stood and followed Francine's lead by pushing his chair in as well. "Ms. Desmond, we should get going. We have a few other stops to make," he reminded Francine.

Francine nodded, "If we get any information, Mrs. Fanelli, we will be sure to keep you informed. I promise."

Mrs. Fenalli pushed herself to a standing position, "I'll see you out." She walked to the front door and opened it slowly, "Thank you for continuing to investigate Emma's murder. She didn't deserve this."

Francine stepped outside and turned back to face her, "If you think of anything else, please call the number on that card."

Tom walked to the car and held the door open for Francine. When they were both seated inside, he turned to her and commented, "You think we can really find out who's behind all this?"

Francine shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know but I'm going to keep trying. Let's see what we can find out from any of the other families."

They drove to the home of the next victim and after a strained conversation with her sister, they discovered she had chosen a different adoption agency. They continued interviewing family members until they reached almost all of the remaining victim's families.

"So, we have three different adoption agencies the women chose," Tom stated as they headed back to the Agency. He flipped the pages on his notepad and commented, "I guess that's the next place we start?"

"Amanda did a pretty thorough job on their background information so I guess now we head in to talk to them, face to face," Francine pressed her lips together.

Tom shook his head, "I don't know. Places like this might be pretty tightlipped. I mean, isn't it all about privacy?"

"I think you're right…" Francine sighed. She slumped in her seat for a moment then quickly straightened up and added, "But maybe…I have an idea. Let's call it a day today and I'll see what I can do in the meantime."

Tom looked over at her, confused. "Are you going to tell me or do I get to play twenty questions?"

Francine quickly pulled into a parking spot and climbed out of the car. "Let me make a few phone calls first, then I'll let you know. I'll see you tomorrow." She ran into the building without adding anything more, leaving Tom standing beside the car.

"I wonder what is going through her head?" he questioned softly before he closed the car door and walked over to his own car parked a few rows away.

Inside the Agency, Francine wove her way through the halls until she reached her desk in the bullpen. She checked the time and quickly dialed Lee and Amanda's home number. Dotty answered the phone on the second ring. "Hello, Mrs. West. This is Francine… is Amanda home yet?" she asked sweetly.

"She just walked in the door, Francine. I think she's in the little girls' room at the moment," Dotty informed her as she bounced Charlie on her hip to quiet him.

"I hate to bother her if she just got home but could you ask her to call me at the office when she has a minute?" Francine asked. She twirled her finger around the phone cord as she waited for Dotty's reply.

Dotty crooned at Charlie, "All right, we'll get off the phone in a second." She turned her attention back to Francine and assured her, "As soon as she has a minute, I'll give her the message."

"Thank you so much," Francine drawled. Before she could hang up she heard Dotty calling her name.

"Francine, I need to chat with you about Amanda's baby shower. Now, I already told Amanda I thought it would be fun to have it here, at the house and I think we should invite, you know, some of Lee's friends as well," Dotty rushed out.

Francine cringed slightly at the idea Dotty wanted her to help plan a baby shower, "Dotty, I'm not so sure I'm the right person to plan this with you. What about Billy's wife, Jeannie? I'm sure she would love to go over all the details."

Dotty shook her head, "Absolutely not. You are her best friend, Francine. She trusts you, which means I trust you and in a situation like this you need to know you are trusting the person that is helping you plan such an important event."

Exhaling loudly, Francine agreed, "All right. I'll stop by one night this week and we can talk about it."

Dotty beamed happily, "I'll have Lee take her out for dinner that night so we can talk privately. Not that she doesn't know she's having a shower but I would like a little bit of it to be a surprise, don't you think?"

"We know how much Amanda loves her surprises," Francine teased. She looked up to see Billy waving in her direction. "Dotty, I'm sorry, someone is trying to get my attention so if you could just ask Amanda to call me back, I'd greatly appreciate it."

"Will do!" Dotty chirped before Francine hung up the phone and headed toward Billy's door.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"Francine, I'm not so sure I'm comfortable with this," Amanda groaned. They were sitting in the car outside of the first adoption agency.

"Amanda, we've gone over this. All I need you to do is pretend you're going over all your options before you make any kind of decision," Francine reminded her.

"But Francine, I thought you said we were going to the agencies to talk to them to see if they met with the victims," Amanda stated.

Francine gave her a condescending smile, "Amanda, we are going to talk to them. But I have a feeling they aren't going to easily give us information if they know we're federal agents. So, if they think you're a potential client, maybe referred to by a friend or a coworker, then who knows what kind of information they'll be willing to give us."

Amanda glared at Francine, "That's lying. You know I hate lying."

"And you work for the federal government, so it's part of your job, Amanda," Francine smirked.

Amanda looked down at her rounded belly and sighed, "I guess but I still don't have to like it."

Francine held her hand out as she stated, "Rings. You don't want to stir up any questions about why you're wearing wedding rings and you're looking at options for giving up your baby, do you?"

Amanda fisted her hand tightly. "No, I guess not," she groaned. She wiggled her rings off her finger and squeezed her hand tightly closed again. She rubbed her hands together, massaged her ring finger to hopefully smooth out the depression left behind. "I guess I'll just have to keep my hands in my lap or something," she stated.

As Francine watched Amanda remove her rings she suggested, "Will your new ring fit on your left hand? That might draw less attention if you keep fiddling with your hands like that."

"Good idea, Francine. I think it might be a tiny bit bigger but that should do the trick," Amanda agreed as she switched the amethyst and sapphire ring Lee gave her in February to her left hand. She flexed her fingers once more and nodded, "That should work."

Francine gave her a smile, "Good. So, give me your pitch one more time before we head in."

"My name is Amanda Keane. My baby is due next month. I am not in a position financially to support this child, so I want to find a family that can give him or her everything I can't," Amanda repeated the schpeel she and Francine came up with on their drive to the adoption agency.

"Right. And who am I?" Francine prompted.

Amanda rolled her eyes, "You are my best friend who only wants to help me because I'm all by myself. The baby was conceived …. Oh, Francine, do I have to say it?"

Francine shook her head, "Yes, Amanda, finish everything we talked about."

"The baby was conceived during a one-night stand after a bachelorette party where I had too much to drink and I have no idea who the father is. There, are you happy?" Amanda nodded sharply.

"See, it's not that hard," Francine encouraged her. "Now, let's head inside."

Together, they entered the building where Amanda played her part perfectly. The admitting receptionist asked them to have a seat while she called out to one of the counselors on staff. Twenty minutes later, Amanda and Francine were in her office, sitting across from Gretchen Delucia. "Ms. Keane, our receptionist explained you have a rather sad situation on your hands. Would you like to give me a little more detail?"

Amanda covered her belly with her hands and sighed, "I just want what's best for this little one and well, I'm not in the best position right now to do that. I've thought long and hard about this, and I know that another family will love this baby just as much as I do, only they can give him or her what I can't." Amanda looked up at Ms. Delucia as tears silently slid down her cheeks.

"Well, I can assure you, Ms. Keane, that we will do our best to help find you the perfect family for your baby," she stated compassionately. She turned to Francine and asked, "And who may you be?"

"I'm just a good friend looking out for what's best for everyone," Francine stated with a smile.

Ms. Delucia turned back to Amanda and asked, "Have you had any medical care?"

Amanda made eye contact with Francine and quickly stated, "Just from a local clinic back in Illinois. I moved here a few weeks ago. I don't even remember the name of the place to be honest."

Ms. Delucia nodded as she jotted down a few notes, "That's okay. We have a wonderful doctor on staff here that can give you an examination. We do require all of our mothers to be to have one to ensure the health of both the mother and the baby."

Amanda's eyes widened nervously. "I'm not … I can't…" she stuttered, trying to find the right lie.

"We don't charge any of our mothers a fee for the exam if that's what you're worried about," Ms. Delucia assured her.

Seeing Amanda's clear discomfort, Francine added, "I think Amanda's also trying to state she doesn't have time today to do that. She just started working at the company I work at and they are sticklers on clocking in on time. As a matter of fact, we do need to get going soon but maybe you could give us more information?"

Ms. Delucia nodded again, "I understand. And it's a lot to take in. I do have a few more pamphlets on our agency, including one with staff information if you'd like. You can read them on your own time and then call to schedule an appointment if we look like a place you're interested in working with. We've helped place thousands of infants over the last twenty years." She reached into her desk and pulled out several colorfully printed pages which she placed in front of Amanda.

"Oh, thank you. That would be lovely. It's such a big decision and I want to make sure that it's going to be the right one, you know. I'll look over all of these and get back to you soon," Amanda rambled as she scrambled to her feet. She reached across the table and shook Ms. Delucia's hand. "Thank you again."

"Ms. Keane, if you're not from this area, how did you hear about us?" Ms. Delucia asked.

Amanda glanced at Francine one last time as she stated, "Well, my cousin's daughter mentioned she was going to use you for her baby's adoption and said you were the best."

"Oh really? What was her name? Maybe I'll remember her," Ms. Delucia added.

"Jenny… Jenny Pantadano…" Amanda watched Ms. Delucia's face as she said the name.

The color drained from Ms. Delucia. "She was one of those victims. That poor girl. I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Amanda pressed her lips together in a thin line, "Thank you. I just know she had nothing but good things to say about your agency. I'll be in touch." She turned to Francine to leave.

Francine gathered up the pamphlets Ms. Delucia had placed on the edge of the desk. "I think we can find our way out," she stated before she tugged on Amanda's arm. "Come on, Amanda, we need to get you to work on time or our boss will be very upset with you."

Amanda followed Francine outside to the car before she spoke. "I don't think that woman has anything to do with the murders. Did you see the look on her face when I mentioned Jenny's name?" she stated intuitively.

Francine agreed, "She went whiter than Lee when he hasn't been on vacation for a while." She looked at Amanda and burst into laughter. "Sorry…I just realized how that sounded."

Amanda smirked before she stated, "It's okay, Francine. You're right. It has been a while since Lee's had a week of sitting on a sunny beach in the Riviera or in Mexico. And maybe we could all benefit from some time away but right now we have a case to solve. So, let's see what the next place has to say."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Amanda sat uncomfortably across from Beth Stein, the social worker for The Family Heart Adoption Agency. Beside her, Francine sat on the edge of her seat, her lips pressed together tightly, trying to hold back her sharp tongue. In her lap were a small collection of pamphlets about the agency, the staff and a questionnaire.

"Ms. Keane, I need more information from you in order to determine if you are a candidate for our agency," the stern woman stated firmly.

Amanda sighed, "All right, what do you need to know." She could feel the babies begin to move within her body.

"Let's start with the obvious question. Why are you giving your child up for adoption?" Mrs. Stein questioned her.

"As I said before, I am not in a position to give this baby everything it deserves," Amanda replied.

Mrs. Stein tapped her pen on the desk, "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

Amanda glanced over at Francine, shifted in her seat, and said softly, "I simply don't have the financial means to give the baby everything it needs or will need. I know there are families out there that can do that."

"And how does the father of the child feel about all of this?" Mrs. Stein continued.

"He… he… he doesn't know about the baby," Amanda stuttered. She shifted slightly and unconsciously rubbed her belly with one hand.

"What do you mean he doesn't know? You didn't tell him?" Mrs. Stein snapped.

Amanda shook her head and looked at Francine again. "What Ms. Keane is trying to say is she isn't sure who the father is," Francine inserted.

Mrs. Stein folded her arms and sat back. "Explain," she demanded.

Amanda groaned inwardly before she said, "It happened after a night of drinking at a bachelorette party. I'm not sure who he was."

Mrs. Stein leaned forward onto her forearms on the desk. "Ms. Keane, should we assume you have a drinking problem then?"

"What? No," Amanda immediately responded.

"And should we assume that your child may be born with some sort of reliance on alcohol as well? Is that why you are so quick to put our child up for adoption?" Mrs. Stein continued her admonishments.

"No!" Amanda snapped.

"Why would you even suggest something like that?" Francine questioned angrily.

Mrs. Stein sat back again and eyed the two women, "Well, with Ms. Keane's advanced age, lack of stability, drinking issues… all the dots connect."

Francine stood swiftly, "We thought after all the good things my cousin told us that this was a caring and loving facility, that you would be willing to help but I know she was clearly mistaken."

Mrs. Stein folded her arms across her chest and asked, "And how would your cousin know anything about us?"

"Because her daughter, Tina Chandler, spoke highly of you before she was… before that horrible incident occurred," Francine dangled the victim's name.

With a stone face, Mrs. Stein stood slowly and stated, "We do not discuss any clients, past or present, with anyone, family or not. Now, I don't think you're a good fit for our families, Ms. Keane. Good luck to you."

Amanda followed Francine into the hall before turning back to Mrs. Stein, still standing at her desk. "Mrs. Stein, I'd just like to say one thing. You don't know me and you certainly don't know anything about me. All you know is what you assume after just a few minutes' interview and well… you know what they say about assuming anything." She stormed off before the tears started streaming down her cheeks.

Outside, Amanda stopped and took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm her frayed nerves. "I'm so sorry, Amanda," Francine apologized. "I had no idea that would happen. I never would have-"

Amanda reached out and touched Francine's arm to silence her, "It's okay. You didn't know. I think I'm more upset with the thought that that woman might treat other women the same way. I know the truth and I know Lee loves us very much but there really are women out there who have no one. If that's the face of this organization, well, I feel very bad for them."

Francine put her arms around Amanda and gave her a gentle squeeze. "You are one hell of a woman, Amanda. Let's get back to the agency and write up our findings for today." They drove to the agency, laughing about the latest Fred Fielder and Abernathy stories.

In the Q Bureau, Lee was pacing angrily. When he heard the rattle of the keys in the door, he jerked it open. "Where the hell have you been?" he demanded.

With wide eyes, Amanda glanced at Francine. "We were working on-" she began.

"Working? As in, out in the field?" Lee roared.

"Lee, it wasn't like that," Amanda tried again.

"Oh, so explain to me what it really was like because maybe I don't understand. I mean, two agents, one of which is supposed to be on light duty only because she's oh… say… six months pregnant with TWINS I might add were working somewhere not in the building. But that's not out in the field, I guess," he snapped.

Francine stepped further into the office and held her hand up, "Scarecrow, you need to take it down a notch. I simply asked Amanda to help me. She was never in any danger."

"Never in any danger? Francine, that's a crock and you know it. We're in danger any time we walk outside, for crying out loud!" he debated.

"What I mean is, all she did was accompany me to two offices to help with a couple of interviews," Francine clarified.

"Interviews, huh," Lee sat on the edge of his desk, his lips pursed tightly together waiting for more information.

Amanda dropped her purse on the desk and held out the pamphlets they had collected. "See. That's what we did. Just get more information about the two adoption agencies in question. Nothing more," she tried to assure him.

Lee snatched the papers from her hand and flipped through them. "Fine. How did you get this information?" he questioned. Amanda sat on the couch and smoothed her skirt nervously without offering an explanation. Lee looked at Francine for an answer.

"I asked Amanda to pose as a potential client," Francine stated softly.

"You did what?!" Lee snapped.

Louder, Francine repeated herself, "I asked Amanda to pose as a potential client. I thought-"

"You thought what? That you would use my wife as a mark?!" he shouted angrily.

"No. I just figured if Amanda posed as a potential client, we'd be able to get more information than if we went in there flashing badges," Francine insisted.

"Oh really? So putting my pregnant wife on display, pretending to be… to be… what exactly? An unwed mother? Just so you can get in the door?" Lee shouted louder.

Amanda stood and put her hand on Lee's arm, "Lee, just calm down. All we did was talk to the agency counselors they have screening the mothers. Nothing more."

Lee scrubbed his face with one hand, the muscle in his cheek twitching wildly. "And what did you learn?"

Amanda squared her shoulders and stated, "Well, we learned two of the victims definitely went to the agencies and both women reacted when we mentioned their names. Francine and I were going to go over all the pamphlets we received."

Lee shook his head, "And what story did you give to these counselors?"

"That Amanda wasn't sure who the father was and she wasn't in a position to take care of the baby," Francine admitted.

With a sharp nod, Lee stated, "I see." He clenched his jaw tightly as he swept his gaze from Francine to Amanda. "And you were okay with this?"

"No," Amanda insisted. "But I understood why Francine needed me, Lee. She wasn't going to let anything happen to me. It was just a simple way to get in the door without raising any red flags. You would have done the same thing if it were you."

"Amanda, I never would have used my pregnant wife as bait," Lee stated firmly before he stood and opened the office door.

Amanda watched him and quickly asked, "Where are you going?"

Lee turned in the doorway, "I need to cool off, so I'm heading down to the shooting range."

"Lee?" Amanda called to him.

"Let it go, Amanda," Francine reached out to touch her. "He's right, I never should have asked you to go."

Amanda gave her a weak smile, "No, you're wrong. I knew the risks but I also know it's important to find the people who murdered these young women. And the only way to do that is to get information. Now, I can't go running around, chasing the bad guys, like you and Lee and Tom can do. But I can talk to people and I can use the computer to confirm what we find. So, I did what I knew I could do. I may not have liked the scenario because it meant I had to lie to those women but if it helps find who's responsible then I would do it all over again."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Lee fired off several clips in frustration before Billy found him. "Amanda said you were down here," Billy stated. He rubbed the edge of his jaw with one finger as he waited for Lee to respond.

Lee squeezed off several more rounds in rapid succession. Without facing Billy he snapped, "What am I going to do with her?"

"Francine? She didn't mean anything, I'm sure," Billy immediately replied.

Lee shook his head and fired off another round, "Not Francine. Amanda. I just don't know what to do anymore. It's like, every time I tell her something, she does the complete opposite." He angrily ejected the empty clip before he snapped in a full one. Aiming at the target he continued, "I mean, I know she isn't trying to get hurt and I know she wouldn't willingly put herself in danger but, dammit." Lee cursed again and pulled the trigger once more. "I just want her to stay put where she's safe. Why is that so hard?" Lee groaned and hung his head, frustrated.

"Lee, I know this is tough but you have to trust her, man. She did what she thought was the right thing to do. She went with Francine to help get information, that's all," Billy tried to reason with him.

"And what if something went wrong, huh? What if… what if it's someone that works at one of those places that's kidnapping these women?" Lee suggested through clenched teeth. "We've made enough enemies over the years, I just don't know how to shake this feeling something is going to happen."

Billy pursed his lips tightly before he replied, "You've got a point. I understand." Sensing he needed to calm Lee a little he teased, "What if we could keep an eye on her for you a little? You know, give her a babysitter of sorts. If she needs to run an errand we have one of the new kids go with her. And if she's heading home, give her an escort… a subtle one of course."

"No, thanks. I don't think that's necessary." Lee chuckled as he pointed out, "Pretty soon she's not going to be able to fit behind the wheel, so she'll need a chauffeur." He exhaled loudly and asked, "I'm not overreacting, am I?"

Billy reached out and touched his shoulder, "Maybe just a little, but with good reason. We'll get through this. After all, she only has, what, three more months left?"

"Thirteen weeks, two days to be exact," Lee smiled, "That is if the girls come right on time."

Billy returned his smile, "And what does the doctor think?"

Lee relaxed slightly, tucked his weapon into the holster on his belt, and stated, "It's anyone's guess right now." He checked his watch and announced, "I better get back upstairs. Amanda must be getting tired by now, so I'm sure she's going to want to head home soon. And I think I owe her an apology."

"Do what you have to do, but remember one thing," Billy advised.

"What's that?" Lee gave him a nervous half-smile.

"No matter what you say, you're still going to be wrong," Billy laughed loudly as he clapped Lee on the shoulder.

While Lee and Billy laughed their way to the elevators, Amanda was flipping through the colorful pamphlets and pages they received earlier from the two adoption agencies. She stifled a yawn and turned back to her meticulous notes. She turned another page and noticed a face that looked slightly familiar. "That's odd," she commented aloud to the empty room. She stared at the small image for several seconds before she reached onto the desk and retrieved a trifold paper from the stack. "It is the same doctor!" she confirmed. She lifted the phone receiver and dialed Francine's extension. "I think I found something," Amanda stated.

Francine leaned back in her chair and pinched the bridge of her nose, "I hope it's the winning ticket to the lottery, so I can take a vacation. I've been staring at this journal translation for the last hour and I'm getting a headache."

"Would you think it was strange if the same doctor worked or volunteered at both facilities?" Amanda questioned.

Francine leaned forward in her seat, "Very. How did you find that?"

Amanda tapped her fingers on one of the pages, "I was just comparing the flyers the agencies gave us. I was looking at the Support Medical Staff on one of them and I recognized him. Dr. Stanley Schuster, according to his biography."

Francine frowned, "Maybe he's just a good Samaritan and helps out at both agencies."

"No, no I don't think so. It says here he's the head of the health and welfare department at the Happy Family Agency and at the other one he is listed as the only obstetrician on staff," Amanda pointed out.

"Well, maybe we need to look into Dr. Schuster a little bit more," Francine commented. "Well done, Amanda. What would I do without you?"

Before Amanda could reply, she heard the rattling of the doorknob turning. She looked up to see Lee stepping inside, his shoulders slumped. "Francine, I'll see you tomorrow. Lee just got here and I'm going to have him bring me home. I'm a little tired after our outing this morning." She hung up the phone and sighed quietly as Lee sat on the edge of his desk, facing her. "Lee, I'm sorry about this morning. I was just trying to help Francine," she tried.

"I know," Lee nodded solemnly.

"And If I thought it was even remotely dangerous, I wouldn't have gone," Amanda continued.

Lee nodded again, "I know."

Amanda held up the pamphlet, "I did find something though."

"Oh really," Lee replied in the same monotone.

"Yeah, I found the same doctor works at both agencies," Amanda informed him. She handed him the tri-folded paper. "Francine's going to do some more research on him to see what she can find. It's a start."

Lee glanced at the flyer before handing it back to her. "Amanda, I'm sorry about this morning. I just can't help worrying about you, that's all," he explained.

Amanda stood and closed the gap between them, "You don't have to worry so much, you know that." She reached out and caressed his cheek with the back of her fingers.

Lee captured her hand in his and pulled her close. He tucked his chin on the top of her head and whispered, "Promise me you won't go back there."

"Lee," she sighed.

"Just promise me. Promise you won't go back out into the field unless I'm with you. Please, Amanda," Lee begged softly.

Amanda tilted her head back to look into his worried hazel eyes. "Only if you're with me," she agreed. Lee pressed his lips to her forehead. "Now, will you take me home? I'm exhausted," Amanda requested.

"Anything you wish," Lee smiled tentatively before he released her from his embrace.

During the ride home, Amanda dozed in the car, drawing a grin from Lee. He gently shook her awake when he pulled into the driveway. "I guess I was more tired than I thought," Amanda admitted sheepishly.

"Why don't you head up and lay down for a while. I'll get the boys from school before I head back to the Agency. I have another meeting with the new task force Dr. Smyth is forming," Lee stated.

They both were surprised when Dotty appeared at Amanda's door, holding a muddy, squirming Charlie in her hands. "Mother!" Amanda gasped. She opened her car door and reached out to wipe a smudge of dirt off Charlie's cheek. "What are you doing out here?"

"Well, the weather was nice, so I thought I'd bring Mr. Wigglepants outside for some fresh air. You know, a nice walk around the neighborhood, then maybe get him down for a nap until he decided to find the only muddy patch in the front yard. He jerked right out of my hands and before I could catch him, he crawled over and slapped in it," Dotty exclaimed.

Lee took the happy toddler from Dotty and held him at arm's length, drawing loud giggles from the child. "He looks pretty happy to me though. What does Amanda always say? A little dirt won't hurt," Lee teased.

"I suppose," Dotty groaned. She took stock of the mud on her shirt as well as Charlie's pants and added, "They invented washing machines and tubs for a reason, I guess."

Lee twisted Charlie from side to side gently, smiling wider as the giggles quickly transformed to deep baby belly laughs punctuated with a line of drool hanging off his bottom lip and chin. Lee gagged slightly as the drool dripped down onto his hand. "I can't get used to that," he admitted before he handed Charlie back to Dotty.

"Come with me, little man. Into the sink for a tubby you go," she informed the baby as she carried him into the garage.

Lee checked his hands for any mud before he guided Amanda into the house behind Dotty. "Our girls are going to be in good hands with your mother," he declared.

"Yeah, I think so, too," Amanda agreed with a sleepy smile.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"Mom, do you think we can make dinner with Lee tomorrow night?" Philip asked between bites of his hamburger. "I saw a new recipe in home economics class that I'd like to try before I actually do it in class. I want to do a good job on it, unlike the last recipe we made."

Amanda raised an eyebrow at her eldest son, but it was Jamie who teased, "You mean like studying before a test?"

Philip snapped his head in his brother's direction and glared at him silently. Lee covered his mouth to hide his snicker. "Jamie, that's not nice. I think your brother has been doing pretty well in school lately," he stated in a firm tone.

"Thanks, Lee. I have been trying harder because I only have two more years before college and I don't want to end up scrambling at the last minute," Philip admitted.

Amanda sighed softly before she asked, "Have you been thinking about which college you might want to go to yet?"

"Nah," Philip shook his head. "But the guidance counselors said we should start touring schools now, so by the time we do have to apply it won't be so stressful."

Lee wiped his mouth with his napkin and asked, "Have you thought about what you might want to study?"

Philip shrugged his shoulders and opened his mouth to answer. "Girls," Jamie giggled beside him, earning an elbow to the ribs.

"I'm not sure yet, but I did see McKay's garage is looking for help. Do you think I could apply, Mom?" Philip turned to Amanda. "I really want to save up some money to get a car next year when I get my drivers' license."

Amanda blinked rapidly, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. "I think getting a job could be a good thing but you have to keep your grades up," she replied with a shaky voice.

Lee dropped his napkin beside his dish and stated softly, "Amanda, can you and I talk in the other room?"

Philip snapped his head from Lee's direction to Amanda's. "I'm not in trouble, am I? I didn't do anything wrong today. I even got an eighty-four on my math test," he insisted.

"No, you're not in trouble, but I do need to talk to your mom for a minute before she makes a decision," Lee explained. Amanda sat still, fighting her emotions. She held her napkin to her mouth and blinked rapidly again.

Jamie stood, gave Amanda a squeeze and suggested, "Hey, Philip, let's go check and see if Grandma got all the mail earlier." Philip looked at him strangely but silently got up and followed his brother to the front door.

Lee immediately stood and walked around the table to where Amanda sat, "Hey, it's okay."

"He's going to college in a few years. When did my babies get so old?" Amanda cried softly, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

Lee reached up and wiped the wet line away, "It happens. But you'll have the girls to keep you on your toes, too." He put his arms around her and gave her a gentle hug. "You knew it was coming someday."

"But it feels too early," Amanda cried again.

"Well, maybe he'll want to live at home and commute to school. He doesn't even know what he wants to study, so we've got time," Lee assured her. He stroked her shoulder slowly and added, "At least he wants to start taking financial responsibility now. A job could be good for him."

Amanda took a stuttered breath, her tears slowing, "I guess."

Lee looked down at her once more, "Tell you what. I have a contact that works at McKay's. I'll have him keep an eye on Philip while he's there if that makes you feel any better."

"So, you think I should let him apply?" Amanda asked, her expressive brown eyes searching Lee's face for reassurance.

"I do. He's right, you know. He can put the money aside and start learning how to save for something. He's had a great teacher all these years, now, it's time for him to put what he's learned to the test," Lee reminded her.

Amanda gave him a weak smile, "Thanks. I don't know what's wrong with me today."

Lee gave her another squeeze and teased, "Hormones probably."

Amanda playfully hit his arm and admonished him, "Nice try, buster."

"I'm serious. It's probably the hormones," Lee stood and returned to his seat at the table. Amanda gave him a weak smile as the boys returned to the kitchen.

"Is it safe to come back now?" Philip asked tentatively.

"Philip, come here, sweetheart," Amanda requested. Philip did as he was asked, standing beside his mother. Amanda reached up and took his hand in hers. "I think…well, Lee and I think it would be good for you to get a job. But the minute your grades start to slip, you need to cut back your hours there. You promise?"

Philip nodded his head enthusiastically, "I promise!"

"Good, now give me a hug," Amanda instructed. She put her arms around her son and held him for several minutes before he finally released her. "Now, how about some of that pie your grandmother made this morning while Charlie was napping?"

"Did someone say pie?" Jamie's eyes widened.

Lee stood and began clearing their dinner dishes, "I think Dotty said it was cherry pie as she was getting ready to head out. But she did ask us to save her a piece for her tea tomorrow."

"Yeah, Grandma has a hot date tonight with some new guy she met at the bookstore yesterday," Philip informed Amanda.

Amanda shook her head, "What do you mean some new guy? I thought she was meeting Curt this afternoon after Charlie got picked up."

Philip shrugged his shoulders and stated, "I don't know. She just said she was looking for another book by Barbara Cartland or something like that and she spotted her very own Scott Crossfield waiting at the end of the aisle. She said she couldn't wait to seduce him with more than just blueprints."

Lee burst into laughter at his stepson, drawing strange looks from the rest of the family. "What? You don't know who Scott Crossfield is?" he sputtered. Amanda shook her head, confused while Philip and Jamie just stared at him. "Scott Crossfield was a Navy fighter pilot who flew all the prototypes of experimental X series sonic planes back in the forties and fifties. He had a reputation as a jinxed pilot. Half of his flights ended in near misses, but he was always up for the latest and greatest developments. He would scour all the newest blueprints as they were issued," Lee explained.

"Well, that doesn't explain who Mother is out with tonight," Amanda replied.

Lee laughed again, "She's out with Curt. Didn't she tell you he was going over the blueprints for the new Model C09A King Aire Beechcraft?"

Amanda blinked several times as Lee's words sunk in before her cheeks pinkened with color. She covered her mouth with her hand and gasped, "Oh!"

Lee coughed several times as he tried to catch his breath while Philip and Jamie stared at each other, completely confused. Amanda began giggling uncontrollably while Lee continued to laugh and cough until they were both breathless. Jamie rolled his eyes and groaned, "Grown-ups!"

Philip gave him and elbow and suggested, "Let's take our pie into the other room and watch TV. I heard there's a new episode of MacGyver on tonight."

Amanda finally got herself under control and reminded the boys, "Only if you're homework's finished, fellas."

"Done!" they stated in unison causing everyone to laugh once more.

"Okay, since your homework is finished, apparently, you guys can watch MacGyver but after that, it's lights out. It's a school night," Lee stated with a slight tilt of his head.

"Thanks, Lee," Jamie exclaimed as he yanked the refrigerator door open.

Amanda stood and arched her back slightly. "I think I'm going to head up and take a nice relaxing bath since you fellas seem to be all settled," she stated.

Lee narrowed his eyes at his wife and questioned, "Are you feeling all right?"

Amanda nodded her head to assure him, "I'm fine. I just need to relax a little before bed, that's all. A warm bath will help with that. I think my mind is whirling from everything we learned at work today."

"Okay then, I'll clean up down here and get the boys off to bed. I'll meet you up there," Lee replied.

Amanda gave him a smile and teased, "I'll be looking forward to it."


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**This chapter rated NC-17. If you are under 18 or are not comfortable please move to the next chapter.**

Two hours later, Lee found Amanda sitting on the edge of the bed wearing her robe, a bottle of lotion in her hand. He closed the bedroom door and strolled across the room as she watched him, one eyebrow raised with curiosity. Without a word, Lee took the lotion from her hands and placed it on the bedside table. He placed his hands on either side of her hips on the bed and leaned forward to kiss her. His lips were soft yet demanding. Amanda closed her eyes and allowed him to press her backward. Lee hovered above her, sprinkling more kisses on her lips before moving along her cheek to her ear. He gently tugged on her earlobe with his teeth, drawing a stuttered breath from Amanda. "Sweetheart," she gasped.

"The boys are in bed," Lee assured her. He slipped one hand into the folds of her robe to find nothing but bare skin underneath. He tipped his head to the side, a dimpled grin spread slowly across his face. "What do we have here?" he teased.

Amanda laughed lightly as she explained, "I was just starting to put some lotion on when you interrupted me."

"Oh really," Lee bounced his eyebrows playfully. "Lay back on the pillows and I'll take care of that for you." He sat to the side to give her room to move.

Amanda stood with her back to Lee and slowly pulled the tie to her robe. Once the knot was released, she allowed the thick, fluffy material to slide slowly off her shoulders, revealing the bare skin of her back. Lee inhaled sharply as she looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes partially closed. He watched her drop her robe to her wrists, barely covering the lower half of her body. His body immediately responded, his jeans tightening rapidly.

Lee scrambled to his feet and placed his hands on her arms just about her elbows. He brushed his lips across the soft skin of her shapely shoulder before he whispered in her ear, "I love you."

Amanda felt the heat of his breath against her ear and shuddered involuntarily. She jerked her left hand free from the sleeve of her robe and with her right hand, tossed the garment to the end of the bed. She stood, her back still facing him wearing nothing but a pair of pale yellow panties. "You are so beautiful," Lee whispered into her ear again as he stroked down her arms to take her hands in his. Amanda turned in his arms, her rounded belly brushing against the obvious bulge in his pants before she pushed onto her toes to seal her lips against his.

Lee released her hands to bury his in her hair. He cradled her jaw with one hand, his thumb stroking her cheek as his tongue plundered her mouth hungrily. Amanda's fingers nimbly released the button on his jeans. She tugged his shirt out of his waistband to run her hands across his abdomen to his back. Lee reached behind his head and yanked his shirt up to quickly toss it aside. He didn't care where it landed. All his attention was completely focused on Amanda.

Amanda ticked his zipper down and pushed his jeans down over his hips, taking his boxer shorts with them. Lee shuffled his legs to get the stiff material off. Once one leg was free, he kicked the bunched up pants to the side. He embraced Amanda completely, his body pressed against hers. His lips found her neck where he gently suckled the soft skin, taking extra care to ensure he didn't leave any marks. Amanda draped her arms around his neck and relaxed against him. She whispered just loud enough for him to hear, "Did you lock the door?" Lee murmured his affirmation as his hands stroked her bare back.

"Lay down," he commanded softly. He moved to the side to give Amanda room to sit down and swing her legs around him. He sat beside her and reached for the bottle of lotion she was holding earlier. He squeezed a dollop of the fragrant cream into the palm of his hand. He placed the bottle back on the table and cupped his hands for a moment to warm it. Amanda watched as he distributed the lotion between both hands before he cradled her rounded belly. Slowly, he massaged the balm into her supple skin, feeling each little bump beneath his fingertips. He smiled when one bump shifted and pushed back against his gentle prodding. He glanced up at Amanda's face as he stroked her belly and smiled.

After several more minutes, he lay beside her and just watched her. Amanda reached up and brushed his hair off his forehead with her fingers. "What?" she asked softly.

Lee shook his head, "Nothing." He leaned onto his elbow and began feathering a path from her lips, down her chin and neck to stop between her breasts.

Amanda sighed softly before she rolled slightly onto her side. She hooked one leg over his to pull him closer. "Come here," she whispered. She ran her hand up his arm and pulled him closer as their lips connected.

Lee curled his hand down her back before he slipped his finger into the waistband of her pale yellow panties. "These are in my way," he teased. Amanda lifted her hips giving him the space he needed to remove her last piece of clothing. Lee pulled the thin undergarment down her legs and tossed it aside. He caressed her leg from the ankle to her knee and then teased the silky skin of her thigh before turning his attention back to her lips. With one hand still resting on her leg, he kissed her passionately, tasting her. His fingers found the soft triangle of hair and soon, his fingers were mimicking the actions of his lips and tongue.

Amanda whimpered softly as her body responded to his ministrations. She arched her back against him when his lips left hers and found her sensitive nipples. Lee curled his tongue around the tightened tip and suckled, drawing another soft cry from her lips. He moved to cover her but she surprised him when she lifted her shoulders, forcing him onto his back. She quickly moved to her knees and straddled him.

"Manda," Lee breathed. His pupils were fully dilated, his breathing shallow. Amanda placed one finger against his lips as she shifted her hips and ensconced him within her velvety depths. She cried out, braced her hands on his chest and dropped her chin before she rocked her hips in time with his gentle thrusts. Slowly, she found the rhythm that had her panting Lee's name as her body shook with pleasure until she arched her back and her body tightened around him. Lee continued to roll his hips for another minute, quickly finding his own release.

Lee carefully lowered Amanda onto the bed beside him, his heart hammering still. He brushed her damp hair off her face and kissed her temple softly. "Promise me it will always feel like the first time," he teased softly.

Amanda blinked lazily and reached up to trace a bead of sweat trickling down his hairline to his chin. "Only if you promise me I'll feel like this every time," she replied softly.

"Amanda, I don't understand how it's possible. But every time I make love to you, it feels like heaven all over again," Lee stated softly.

Amanda pushed up to kiss him once more, "It's because work feels like hell, Sweetheart. This… this is the silver lining to all the horrible things we see and do. I realized that today when we were at one of the adoption agencies. That woman…" Amanda paused to take a stuttered breath. "She didn't know me, she only knew the story we gave her and yet she judged me as if I were a criminal. But I knew… I know… how much you love me and the girls."

"Amanda," Lee began but she shushed him to continue.

"I know you're not happy about Francine and I going there but I can't do much else, let alone go running around in the field," Amanda explained. Lee grunted and shook his head sharply but Amanda kept talking, "Those poor women and their babies need a voice, someone to find out what happened to them. And Francine and Tom are doing all the heavy lifting but it feels good to be pitching in a little bit. You've been so… overprotective-"

"Amanda, I haven't been overprotective," Lee insisted.

"You have been, especially since we found out I was pregnant and more so since we learned about the twins," Amanda corrected him. "I know you're only doing it out of love which makes me love you that much more," she sighed with a smile.

Lee looked down at her. "I don't understand," he admitted.

Amanda reached up and stroked his cheek, "I know that you're never going to let anything happen to me, the girls, the boys, Mother, or anyone else you care about. And I also know, you know, how important finding the truth means to me."

Lee sighed when it dawned on him what she was trying to say. "Look, I'm sorry. You're right. I have been a little... " he paused and stated, "overprotective," to which Amanda grinned and agreed. "So, I guess you helping Francine a little isn't all that bad. As long as you promise me you won't go anywhere alone… not to any of these agencies or to interview anyone else."

"I promise. Besides, it's not really my case, it's Francine's case. I'm only helping her out a little," Amanda declared. Lee smiled back at her, so she added, "Speaking of helping out a little, do you think you can help me by getting my nightgown while I get cleaned up in the bathroom?"

Lee laughed lightly, raised one eyebrow and teased, "You mean your nightgown isn't optional tonight?"

"I might need a little more convincing," Amanda responded with a kiss.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

The next morning, Amanda found Dotty writing notes furiously on a notepad, the phone dangling off her shoulder. "All right, Francine, two weeks from Sunday. I'll let Amanda and Lee know. Do you think that'll be enough time to get all the invitations out? What am I saying…we planned a wedding in six weeks, why would this be any different?" Dotty rambled. She glanced up to find Amanda smiling at her before she ended her call. "I'll call you on Friday. Yes, I'll have Amanda head over and start her registry as soon as possible. Lee said she doesn't have to be in the office until noon tomorrow, so she'll have plenty of time to get it started. I have an appointment, so I'll make sure to give her all the instructions. Okay, bye-bye."

"Good morning, Mother. Did you have a nice evening with Curt last night?" Amanda asked as she sipped her coffee.

Dotty sighed as she hung up the phone and made one final notation. "We did. It was wonderful. I was able to pry him away from the blueprints he was working on with something sheer and blue of my own," she winked at Amanda.

Blushing, Amanda sighed, "Oh, Mother."

"I have needs too, you know, Amanda. And, although Curt isn't the eleven Lee is, he still manages to get the job done," Dotty teased further.

Amanda shook her head, "I don't need to hear this. You're my mother!"

"And Curt makes me very, very happy, Darling," Dotty laughed. Seeing Amanda's obvious discomfort with the conversation she changed direction and stated, "Francine and I have decided your baby shower will be two weeks from Sunday. We need you to stop by Maggie and Tuck's tomorrow morning to start your registry. I'd go with you but I have an appointment I simply cannot miss."

"But, Mother, I told you I didn't even want a shower. I feel silly," Amanda groaned. She took another sip of her coffee and added, "Lee might be working that day, I might be on the schedule. I just don't know."

"Nonsense!" Dotty snapped. "Francine insisted she would make sure you were both free. She said she could do that, although I don't know how."

Amanda exhaled loudly, "If it will make you happy, I'll get the registry set up."

Dotty nodded enthusiastically, "Good! Make sure they give you an extra copy for me."

"I will," Amanda assured her. She glanced at the clock and stated, "Lee and I have to leave in a few minutes. We have an early morning meeting today but I should be home in time to pick the boys up."

As if on cue, Lee was heard jogging down the stairs, talking to Philip. "I'll bring you by the shop later if you want," he told his stepson. Together they walked into the kitchen. "Good morning, Dotty. Sleep well," Lee teased.

Dotty smiled at Lee and replied, "As a matter of fact, I slept like a baby. Must have been that wonderful glass of wine we had at dinner. Or our after-dinner stroll down by the docks."

"All that exercise," Lee grinned, his dimples deep.

"Well, you know what they say. Brisk exercise after a meal certainly gets the blood pumping," Dotty tossed back before she raised her coffee mug to her lips.

Philip looked at his grandmother, confused, "I always thought you told us not to exercise right after eating because we'll get a cramp."

Amanda laughed, pulled her son close and squeezed him. "That's only for swimming, not the kind of exercise your grandmother is talking about. Is Jamie about ready to go? Lee and I have a meeting this morning, so we need to leave soon."

Philip stepped out of her embrace to open the refrigerator. He pulled out the gallon of milk and proceeded to fill a cereal bowl. "Yeah, he was just getting his bag together," he informed Amanda between bites.

"So, let me get my suit jacket and we might actually get out of here on time this morning," Lee announced. As he started past Dotty, she thrust a banana in his direction, sputtering, "Breakfast."

Just over an hour later, Lee, Amanda, Francine, Tom, and several other agents were seated around a conference room table listening to Billy update everyone on the latest reports of terrorist activity abroad as well as two notorious Soviet agents who were spotted in DC the previous day. Billy then turned to Francine and asked for an update on her investigation with Tom and Amanda.

"Well, we've hit almost every stumbling block you can come up with but one theory we have ruled out is that Katsaros' daughter was not murdered because of his vote last month," Francine began.

Billy pressed his lips together firmly before he decided, "I guess this is a case for the locals then. Turn over everything you have to them."

"Billy, no. We're not finished. Thanks to Amanda, we finally have our first suspect in this case," Francine disputed.

Billy shook his head and stated, "But this is no longer Agency business. We were only investigating because Katsaros thought it was retribution against him. You've now stated that that isn't the case and she was an unfortunate victim like the other women."

"And the locals haven't found a damn thing either," Francine snapped. "We might actually have a suspect."

Billy looked around the room and commanded, "That's enough for today, people. I want updates on everything you're working on by the end of the week." As the majority of the agents stood to leave, Billy added, "Desmond and Edwards, you stay here." Amanda made eye contact with Lee across the table. He gave her a subtle nod before they both stood to leave. "Amanda, I'd like you to stay as well. It appears you've been rather helpful with this investigation, so I'd like to hear your input. Scarecrow, get Weathers up to speed on Kowalski and Graham. He needs to set up a surveillance team and I'm sure he could use your expertise."

"Will do, Billy. Amanda, I'll meet you in the Q later," Lee stated before he slipped out of the room.

Billy turned back to Francine, "So, explain to me again why you should remain on this case and we shouldn't hand it back to the locals?"

Francine opened the case file and pointed to the fuzzy black and white picture of Dr. Schuster. "Amanda discovered yesterday he is involved with two of the adoption agencies our victims visited. I had Edwards doing a little research on the good doctor and he was able to dig up a rather sordid past. It seems Dr. Schuster was on the verge of bankruptcy just a few years ago after investing his money in some rather… shall we say… unsavory endeavors. Now, all of a sudden, he's got a bank account with well over six figures sitting in it and a foreign account that has had seven large deposits in the last few months."

"So, he straightened his investments out. That doesn't make him a kidnapper and murderer," Billy reasoned.

"Would you say it was more than a coincidence that each deposit was made within a week of each of the murders?" Tom interjected.

Billy turned his head toward the young agent, "Say that again."

"Each deposit was between twenty-five and thirty thousand dollars and each of the deposits were made just about a week after the murder of one of those women. Seven murders, seven deposits," Tom explained.

Billy nodded slowly, "Now that's a theory that holds water. He very well could be involved. What else do you know about the doctor?"

Francine shook her head, "That's it so far. Other than what Amanda found."

"Yes, sir. Dr. Schuster works at both the Happy Family Agency as the health and welfare department and he's the only obstetrician at The Family Heart Adoption Agency. Now, I would think it would be odd for a man with his credentials to work at two different agencies," Amanda stated.

"I have to agree," Billy stated. "Okay, keep on it, but if this doctor comes up as a dead end, that's it. Turn it back over."

Francine closed the file folder and sighed, "I got it. Let's see if we can do a little more digging on Dr. Schuster before we make a happy little visit to him."


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Amanda stood beside Francine's desk, absentmindedly rubbing her belly with her right hand. She shifted slightly to the side and grunted softly. "Amanda, are you okay?" Francine observed. "Do I need to call Lee?"

Amanda smiled and shook her head, "No, I'm fine. It's a contraction but not a real one. It's called a Braxton Hicks and it's nothing to worry about. One of the girls doesn't like it apparently. She pushes back harder each time."

Francine grimaced, "No, thank you. I have enough people pushing my buttons around me, I don't need someone doing it from in there!" Amanda laughed loudly drawing the attention of several younger women from the Steno Pool currently hovering around the water dispenser in the corner.

"I'm sure someday when you meet the right person you'll feel differently," Amanda assured her.

"Well, I haven't met the right person yet, so I'm not holding my breath. Right now, I'll take someone handsome, rich and lonely," Francine insisted.

Amanda opened her mouth to answer but they were interrupted by Agent Bates, "Excuse me, Miss Desmond. There is a call holding for you on extension ten. It's a Detective Bagley. He said he has some information for you."

"Thank you, Karen," Francine nodded. She lifted the receiver, punched in the extension number and said, "Francine Desmond."

"Miss Desmond, Bagley here. Listen I figured you might want to know. We just got a missing person's report for a twenty-three-year-old woman," the detective's gravelly voice barked through the phone.

Francine frowned, "I'm not sure why I would need that information, Detective."

"Well, turns out this particular MP is eight and a half months pregnant. The report was called in by her sister who hasn't seen or heard from her since yesterday morning," Detective Bagley stated.

"Detective Bagley, can you send me the report?" Francine requested, earning a raised eyebrow from Amanda.

"Of course. I'll have my office fax it right over. I sure hope we find her before… well, before she ends up like the others," Detective Bagley stated grimly.

Francine jotted down what little information he gave her and replied, "So do I. I'll keep an eye out for that report and be in touch." She hung up the phone and grimaced. "Another missing pregnant woman was just reported."

Amanda shook her head slowly and asked, "How long ago did she go missing?"

"According to the report, her sister last had contact with her yesterday morning," Francine relayed what little she knew. "Maybe the report the detective is sending over will have more information."

Amanda rubbed her belly protectively with both hands, "Well, maybe it's not the same case. Maybe she just …went to a friends' house and her sister didn't know…maybe…"

Francine reached out to still one of Amanda's hands and assured her, "Don't worry, Amanda. We'll do everything we can to find her, even if it means teaming up with the local police."

Amanda exhaled loudly and wiped away a stray tear that trickled down her cheek. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me," she apologized.

Francine reached over and rubbed her belly and teased, "I do. And that must have been one hell of a game of backgammon, I'd say." Amanda couldn't help but giggle. One of the twins took that moment to shift position right under Francine's hand. She pulled it back quickly, "What was that?"

Amanda laughed again, "I think the question is, who was that."

Francine looked at her belly then up at Amanda, "Wait, that was one of them? Do you know which one?"

Amanda rubbed that side of her belly, "Not really. I mean it's hard to say if they're staying in the same place or if they keep changing. The other night I swear they were playing soccer in there or something."

"Have you started talking about names yet?" Francine inquired.

"Who's name?" Tom interjected from the other side of Francine's desk. In his hand, he held a printed police report with a fuzzy image at the bottom.

Amanda took one glance at the papers and said, "Francine, I'm going to check back in with Lee. Oh, and Mother made me promise to start that registry, so I'll take care of it in the morning and I'll bring you a copy."

"I'll be waiting." Francine smoothed back her hair with one hand and turned to Edwards. "Is that the report from Detective Bagley?" she asked as Amanda made her way into the hallway.

"Yes, what's going on?" Tom asked, a worried expression on his face.

Francine took the report and began skimming the page for any clues the detective may have missed. "Another missing pregnant woman. Camilla Cintas, twenty-three. Her sister reported it about an hour ago." She paused for a minute and continued to read. "Well, she doesn't have a car, so we can't trace that. It says here she took the bus downtown and the last stop she got off was in," Francine paused to look at the map on the wall nearby, "Sector C."

"Where was she going?" Tom asked.

"According to her sister, she was heading to a doctor's appointment but she never made it there," Francine read. She looked up at Tom and declared, "Get your coat. We have an interview to conduct."

"You think her sister's going to be able to give us any more information?" Tom questioned.

Francine stood and straightened her blazer. She slung her purse strap over her shoulder and reminded him, "Well, first we need to know if she has been to visit any of the adoption agencies or if she was planning on keeping her baby. After that, we find out the name of the doctor she was going to visit."

While Francine and Tom headed to the parking garage, Amanda was entering the Q Bureau. She found Lee on the phone just replying with only one or two-word answers. She made eye contact with him and stifled a groan when he mouthed "Dr. Smyth." Several minutes later, he dropped the receiver onto the cradle and leaned forward into his hands. "That man… one of these days," he muttered.

Amanda moved around Lee's desk and sat on the edge. Lee immediately reached up to touch her belly, "You okay? You seem a little… I don't know… melancholy?"

Amanda held his hand against the rippling bump and sighed, "Another pregnant woman has gone missing. Francine and Tom are heading over to interview the sister."

Lee looked up into her sad brown eyes. He could tell she was trying hard to fight the emotions bubbling just below the surface. Without breaking eye contact, he leaned forward and rested his head against her hands. "I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could say to take away the fear and the sadness you're feeling," he admitted.

"Just knowing you're here with me, and that we're all safe, definitely helps," Amanda replied softly.

"Well, let's think about something happier… like… let's discuss names. What about Emily for one of the girls?" Lee lifted his head and raised his eyebrows.

"I like that… so, how about Sarah or Grace? Or I was thinking of something from the Bible, although, Emily isn't a biblical name," Amanda rattled off a few ideas.

Lee smiled at her, his dimples deep and admitted, "This is going to be a lot harder than I thought. How do you choose a name for someone you've never met, yet you're going to be responsible for them their entire lives?"

Amanda returned his smile, "Well, how did your mother pick your name?"

"I'm not sure," Lee admitted.

"If I remember correctly, in her diary she said something about how she chose your name not long after she found out she was pregnant with you," Amanda reminded him.

Lee furrowed his brow and thought hard, "Yeah, you know, I think you're right. I don't remember exactly what it said, but you better believe as soon as we get home, I'm going to find out."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Amanda was sitting in the home office on the phone with Francine when Lee returned from picking up the boys. "You're sure it's the same doctor?" Amanda questioned. She waited quietly as Francine replied then added, "Well, I think you and Edwards need to look more into the doctor's history again. Something definitely doesn't add up. Thanks for keeping me in the loop. Yes, it does make me feel a little bit better, but I'll feel a whole lot better when we find that girl. Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Yes, I'm going to stop at Maggie and Tuck's before I come in, I promise. Talk to you then." She hung up the phone and looked up at Lee.

"Any news?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Well, they talked to the missing girl's sister and she confirmed she was on her way to the Happy Family Adoption Agency to see Dr. Schuster for a weekly appointment. Now, Dr. Schuster claims she never showed up, although the receptionist thought she did," Amanda explained.

Lee furrowed his brow, "What does she mean she thought she saw her. She either did or she didn't."

Amanda laughed, "That's what Francine said, too, but I guess three women came in all about the same time and she couldn't give a positive ID on all of them."

"So, now what?" Lee rubbed his hands together.

"Now, they look deeper at Dr. Schuster. They conducted a preliminary interview but he was rather rushed when a nurse called him out for a woman in labor. He told them he had to leave and they could contact him later," Amanda explained.

Lee scratched the back of his neck and stated, "Well, I'm sure Edwards and Francine will dig up everything that can and then some on that doctor. Edwards seems to be almost as good on that computer as you are. But you… for the rest of today and tonight, you are going to rest. You've been pushing yourself just a little too much as far as I'm concerned."

"Lee… no… I'm fine, really," Amanda insisted.

"No, you fell asleep in the car again today. You need more rest. Dr. Johansen told you this might happen," Lee stated firmly.

Amanda shook her head as she stood and walked around the desk. She stopped beside Lee and put her hand on his chest. "I'm tired because I don't sleep much at night. Between getting up to go to the bathroom several times and the girls moving around as much as they are, I haven't gotten a solid night's sleep in weeks. And it's only going to get worse."

Lee looked down at his wife and sighed. He put his hands on his knees until he was eye-level with her rounded belly and spoke softly, "Listen you two. Your mother really needs to get some quality rest, so try to keep it down tonight. If you do, maybe, just maybe she'll eat more of that pie you two seem to like so much."

Amanda placed her hand on his shoulder and laughed, "I don't think that's going to work, Sweetheart."

Lee straightened up and shrugged his shoulders, "Well, it's worth a shot."

"Uh-huh. Well, how about a nice cup of tea while the boys tell me all about their day before they get started on their homework," Amanda suggested.

"Actually, I was coming in here to tell you I was going to bring Philip over to fill out that application. I talked to my contact and he's pretty much guaranteed the job, the application is merely a formality," Lee informed her.

Amanda closed the office door and walked into the kitchen where the boys were sitting at the island munching on a bowl of grapes and some cheese. "What time will you be back?" she asked.

"An hour or so. It shouldn't take much longer than that, right, Chief?" Lee directed his question at Philip.

"Sounds about right, Lee," Philip agreed. "I'm ready to go when you are!"

Lee smiled, tossed his keys in his hand and announced, "We'll be back in an hour, I guess."

The remainder of the evening passed uneventfully. Lee tried to give Amanda's belly another pep talk before he fell asleep but two hours later, Amanda was wide awake heading for the bathroom. The next morning, she awoke, still tired from her restless night. "It didn't work, did it?" Lee asked tentatively as he watched a normally perky Amanda groggily drag herself out of bed toward the bathroom. Her groaned reply was enough of an answer, so he loudly suggested, "Amanda, why don't you take the day off completely. Stay home and rest today."

"No, I promised Mother and Francine I would get the baby registry done this morning and then I have two of the newer agents meeting me in Records to start sorting out and organizing some of the files down there. Billy asked if I would take a crack at it and I promised him I would," she explained before she turned on the shower.

"I'll get breakfast started for you and get the boys up," Lee stated before he pulled on his robe and headed down the stairs.

Two hours later, Amanda drove herself to Maggie and Tuck's. She walked into the store and smiled at the clerk at the front desk. "Welcome to Maggie and Tuck's. If I can help you in any way, please let me know," the older woman stated.

Amanda sighed softly and asked, "Where can I start filling out a registry?"

"Right over here," the friendly clerk announced. She handed Amanda a clipboard and a pen. "If you fill out each column as you go, I can make a few copies for you before you leave. Then if someone wants to purchase something from the list, they just need to give your name and we can pull it up and cross things off."

Amanda took the clipboard and thanked her. She took her time walking around the store, writing meticulously on the sheets provided. Once she was finished, she brought the list to the clerk. "I think I have everything. It's been so long since I've done this, I'm sure I'm forgetting something," she declared.

The clerk skimmed the list, tilted her head and asked, "Twins, huh?"

Amanda patted her belly and nodded, "Yes, surprise. Never thought I'd have any more children after my boys but here they are."

"I had twins and back in those days we didn't have half the opportunities you'll have now," the clerk informed her.

"You did? Was it as hard as I've been reading?" Amanda asked, her eyes wide with interest.

The clerk reached out and patted her hand, "Don't believe anything you've read. You'll know what's best for your babies, believe me. We didn't have any fancy books to tell us how to care for our children. We did what we knew and what felt right." She took the papers and placed them into a folder under the register. "There, now just tell your family and friends to stop here first. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Can I get a few copies to take with me?" Amanda asked with a nod.

The clerk reached for the folder then shook her head, "I'm sorry, I just remembered the copier isn't working. We're waiting for the repairman. He should be here by tomorrow."

Amanda placed a small book on the register belt, "Okay, then, I'd like to buy this please." She watched as the clerk pressed a small button under the edge of the register before she lifted the book and scanned the barcode. "What's that little button for?" Amanda observed.

"Oh, that? That just triggers our security cameras. Management is very particular. You see, there's a camera right up there," the clerk paused to point to a camera in the corner of the store, "And when I press the button it activates the camera to zoom and record. Pretty sophisticated stuff I think for a store like this but it's for our protection."

"I guess it is," Amanda looked in the direction of the camera and smiled.

In a small office in the back of the store, the manager watched the monitor carefully. A tall man with salt and pepper colored hair stood beside her. "Wait, that woman came to Happy Hearts the other day," he stated. He quickly pulled a file folder out of his briefcase and read, "Amanda Keane. Says here she just moved to the area, no real family and she is giving up her baby because she can't care for it. Got pregnant after a night of drinking and doesn't know who the father is."

"Really?" the store manager drawled. "Is that it?"

Dr. Schuster looked at the woman, "Listen, Glennys, we have to keep a low profile for a bit. I told you the police already started asking questions about Cintas."

"No family… just moved here… who's going to raise a red flag on this one. She looks like she's ready to go any day now," Glennys Martin stated firmly. Without waiting for a reply she commanded, "Follow her and bring her to the house. I'll be there at exactly three o'clock to check on Cintas too. We have clients waiting that would be willing to pay even more for a baby this week."

Dr. Schuster pursed his lips, shoved the file back into his briefcase and slipped out into the hallway while Glennys watched Amanda hand the clerk a ten-dollar bill.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Amanda slipped her key into the driver's door lock when she heard someone calling to her from across the parking lot, "Miss Keane!" Slightly confused, she looked around to see a familiar-looking man walking briskly in her direction. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" she asked. As the man got closer, her eyes widened slightly as she recognized him.

"No, but I know who you are. You stopped by Happy Hearts the other day," Dr. Schuster smiled at her.

Amanda gasped and exclaimed, "Um, yes. I was with a friend of mine. I was just looking at all my options, you know… options… for the baby… because… I'm not sure what I'm going to do just yet."

Dr. Schuster nodded, "I know what you're going to do. You're going to get into your car and you and I are going to go on a little drive."

Amanda shook her head rapidly, "No, no I can't. I have to be getting to work." She glanced around the parking lot to see if there was anyone who could help her but the small lot was virtually empty and the street was quiet behind her.

"No, I don't think so," Dr. Schuster insisted. He reached inside his jacket and produced a small revolver which he pointed in her direction. "Now, hand me the keys and get inside."

Amanda gasped, "What's going on?"

"Just follow my instructions and you and your baby will not be hurt," Dr. Schuster insisted. He pointed the gun in her direction once more and stated again, "Give me the keys and get into the drivers' seat."

Amanda nodded slowly, turned the key to unlock the door before she handed the keys to her abductor. She climbed into the car and Dr. Schuster immediately depressed the lock button and closed the door. He quickly jogged around the front of the car, unlocked the passenger door and slid in beside her, his gun trained on her belly. "Where are we going?" she asked, her voice shaking with fear.

"I'll tell you as we go. Now, take a right out of the parking lot. You follow all my directions and no one will hurt you," Dr. Schuster said coldly. Amanda swallowed hard, started up the car and slowly pulled out of the parking lot. After an hour of twisting and turning through side streets and neighborhoods, Amanda pulled into the driveway of a Colonial style home that blended in with the other houses around it. "Pull around back," Dr. Schuster instructed. Amanda steered the car down the narrow driveway to a paved area behind the house. "Now, don't move until I come around the car. No sudden moves. Remember, you won't be hurt if you do everything I say."

Amanda watched as Dr. Schuster took the keys out the ignition and exited the car. When he closed the door she muttered to herself, "Okay, Amanda, just listen to what he says and you won't get hurt. Lee will find you… Lee… he doesn't even know where I am." Lost in her own thoughts, she jumped when Dr. Schuster rapped on the window with the muzzle of the gun. She opened the door and climbed out, rubbing her belly protectively.

"Now, head up to that door right there," Dr. Schuster pointed to the green painted wooden door behind the house. Amanda silently walked across the driveway and up the three narrow, concrete steps and stopped at the door. Dr. Schuster reached past her and twisted the knob before he pushed the door inward. "Now, we're going upstairs to check on our other guest first." They stepped into a small kitchen located in the back of the house.

"I need to use the restroom," Amanda requested nervously.

Dr. Schuster closed and deadbolted the door behind them, slipping a small keyring into his jacket pocket. "Of course. You're a guest, Ms. Keane. I would never deny my guest use of the facilities."

"I wouldn't exactly call myself a guest," Amanda retorted. The look on Dr. Schuster's face silenced her immediately. He escorted her to a small half-bath on the first floor. Amanda stepped into the small space and closed the door. She sunk down onto the toilet as the tears slid down her cheeks. A few minutes later she opened the door and found the hallway empty. She took two steps toward the back door and found Dr. Schuster standing in the kitchen, placing cheese, crackers, and fruit on a small dish.

"Would you like something?" he offered; his tone much softer than it had been previously. Amanda shook her head, "No, thank you, I'm not hungry."

"Well then, follow me, please. I'll introduce you to our other guest. You won't be alone while you're here," Dr. Schuster assured her.

Amanda looked around the small, antiquated room, "Where is here, exactly?"

Dr. Schuster laughed, "Somewhere no one would ever think to come looking for you or anyone else." He lifted the dish and picked up the gun that was sitting on the counter. He waved it in the direction of the hall and stated, "She's upstairs waiting."

Amanda cleared the hall and took the steps slowly, Dr. Schuster very close behind. They reached the second floor where Amanda heard a muffled voice call out, "Is anyone there?"

"It's just me, Camilla. I have another guest with me," Dr. Schuster stated loudly. He stopped at a paint-chipped door at the end of the hall. He placed his gun into the waistband of his pants. He twisted the auxiliary lock to the open position, removed the two slide chains before he twisted the old brass knob. "How are you feeling this morning, Camilla?" he asked as he stepped into the room.

Sitting across the room, on the edge of a full-sized bed sat a young, very pregnant woman. "I'm not feeling so well, Doctor. I don't know what's wrong with me," she admitted.

Dr. Schuster placed the small plate on the bedside table and sat on the edge of the bed beside the woman. "What seems to be the problem, Camilla?"

"I'm not sure. I just don't feel right," Camilla stated. She looked up at Amanda, "Hello. I'm Camilla."

"Hi, Camilla, my name is Amanda," she replied with a tentative smile.

"Dr. Schuster, will I be able to leave soon? My sister must be worried about me by now," Camilla requested.

Dr. Schuster glanced at Amanda and stated, "It's not time just yet. Remember, we talked about this Camilla."

Camilla looked down at her swollen belly and rubbed it with both hands, "I don't know if I want to do this anymore. I mean, I thought, when we talked before… I thought we were just going to go over a few family profiles, so I could make my final decision as to who would adopt my baby, but I was thinking… I don't know that I can give him up now. Being here… I think-"

"Nonsense!" Dr. Schuster snapped angrily. "I brought you a snack. Why don't you and Amanda get to know each other for a little bit." He left the room, slamming the door behind him. Amanda cringed as she heard the bolt slide into place.

Amanda rushed to Camilla's side and sat beside her, "Camilla, how long have you been here, exactly?"

Camilla shook her head, "Um, a day or two I think. I'm not really sure anymore." She grunted and immediately covered her belly with her hand. "Something's wrong."

Amanda placed her hand over Camilla's and calmly stated, "Just relax. You're worked up so your baby is going to get worked up too. Take a deep breath and breathe out slowly."

Camilla did as instructed, repeating the process several times, "Thank you. I feel a little better now. How did you get here?"

Amanda quickly deduced her abduction was different from Camilla's by her simple question. "I drove here with Dr. Schuster," she explained.

Camilla looked at Amanda's rounded belly and asked, "Are you giving your baby up, too?"

Amanda exhaled before she explained, "Not really. Listen, Camilla, I'm a federal agent. We've been investigating the murders… you know, the ones on the news…"

Camilla's eyes widened quickly, "You don't think Dr. Schuster has anything to do with that, do you? He's been so wonderful… well, except when he locked me in here. But he's brought me food every few hours and it's so quiet and peaceful here I've been able to get some extra sleep."

Amanda patted Camilla's leg assumingly, "I can't be sure but I also think it's very strange that he locked us both in. But don't you worry. My husband is also a federal agent and he'll find us. He's expecting me at work in a little while, so I know he'll know something is wrong."

Camilla looked at Amanda and asked, "But what if he doesn't?"


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

Lee strolled into the bullpen with an intense look on his face. He scanned the room until he saw Francine and Tom sitting in the corner intently reading a computer printout. He purposefully crossed the room and asked, "Francine, have you seen Amanda?"

Francine jumped and raised her chin to look at Lee. "No, not yet. I thought Dotty said she was going to work on her baby registry this morning," she informed him.

Lee jammed his hand in his pocket, "Yeah, this morning, it's almost one. She should have been here an hour ago."

Francine shrugged her shoulders, "Well, maybe she got caught up making that list. After all, things have changed a bit since her boys were babies." She turned her attention back to the printout.

"No! Something's not right. Amanda… Amanda would have called if she was going to be late. She said she would be here by noon and-" Lee insisted.

"And what? Lee, I'm sure there's nothing to be worried about. Amanda probably stopped to pick up lunch and ran into an old PTA friend or something," Francine dismissed him.

Lee blinked several times before he exhaled, "You're right. I'm probably overreacting."

Francine looked at her friend and laughed, "Good, now if you're done being dramatic, maybe you can help Edwards and me."

Lee leaned on the edge of the desk, folded his arms and asked, "Maybe. What did you find?"

Tom held up one section of the printout, "Well, it seems Dr. Schuster has multiple properties in DC and the surrounding area. Not one of them is listed as his primary address."

Lee leaned forward to read the top address, "What about his drivers' license?"

"Well, he has two. One for Virginia and the other for Maryland. Each one with a different address. His mail is all sent to a PO Box… in DC. So, that doesn't help us," Francine groaned.

Lee sat back and folded his arms again. He scanned the bullpen once more, then shrugged his shoulders and asked, "What are you trying to find?"

Francine tapped the printout and explained, "Well, if Schuster is involved, he's going to need someplace to keep these girls until they… well… until he…" Francine hesitated before she finished, "until he kills them and takes the babies." She watched the muscle in Lee's cheek tighten slightly before she continued. "So, Edwards and I figured he must use one of these locations. The question is which one. There are seventeen of them on this list, not counting an apartment in DC, but I think we can rule that one out, simply because of its location."

"Why's that?" Edwards frowned.

"Because an apartment might draw too much attention if he's coming and going with different women all the time," Lee suggested.

"Exactly what I thought," Francine concurred.

Lee nodded sharply, "Well, you asked for my help, what can I do?"

Before Francine could reply, a freshman agent named Kate Anderson stepped up to Lee. "Mr. Stetson? Have you seen Mrs. Stetson this morning? I thought Mr. Melrose said she was going to meet us at noon but…"

She was cut off by another baby-faced agent named Mike Lynch who corrected her, "No, Kate, he said she would meet us at one-thirty and we were supposed to be in the conference room at noon. You missed the meeting."

Kate inhaled sharply, "Oh no. I had it backward. Oh no."

Tom reached out and touched Kate's hand, "It's okay. It happens. Just make sure you find Mr. Melrose and explain it to him. I'm sure he'll understand."

Kate looked down at his hand then back up at his face. She gave him a weak smile and said, "Thanks. I'll find him now." She turned back to Mike and asked, "Do you know where Mr. Melrose went?"

Mike rolled his eyes, "Yeah, follow me." Kate fell in step behind Mike and the two disappeared around the corner.

"See, Amanda's not really late," Francine assured Lee. "If she said she was going to be here at one-thirty then she'll be here. In the meantime, maybe I can recruit you to help us check out some of these locations?"

Lee checked his watch and sighed, "I guess you're right. And, sure. I have nothing else on my agenda for now. I turned in my study on the current terrorist cell we've been watching in Holhol. I'm just waiting for an update from my contact but I'm not expecting that until tomorrow."

Francine grabbed a notepad and a pencil and began dividing up the list of addresses. She glanced up several times at the map on the wall before she finished writing. She pulled off the top sheet and handed it to Lee. "If you take this half, Tom and I can take the other. Potomac marks the center," she stated.

Lee scanned the list carefully, "This isn't too bad. Four in the city, four in the suburbs." He looked at Francine and grinned, "You sure you can handle the family neighborhoods?"

Francine glared at Lee before she retorted, "I'll be just fine. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it."

Lee chuckled as he stood up, "I'm sure Tom here will make sure you don't get ambushed by anything under four feet tall. Won't you, Tom?" Tom laughed loudly at Lee's teasing but as soon as he turned to Francine he immediately clammed up. Lee folded the notepaper, tucked it into his suit pocket and announced, "I'm just going to leave a message with Mrs. Marston to have Amanda call me as soon as she gets in."

"Oh yeah, Marston's going to love that," Francine shook her head. "She keeps telling you she's not your secretary."

"I know that," Lee responded, "But I also know a certain bakery that she likes to visit right around teatime. I'll be sure she has a treat all paid and waiting for her this afternoon." His dimples deepened as he grinned like the Cheshire cat.

Francine turned to Tom and stated, "Whatever you do, do not get any ideas. Do not learn from his example."

Tom laughed loudly and shook his head, "Mrs. Marston and I are on a love-hate relationship right now, I think. She loves to hate me and I'm doing my best to avoid her."

Francine looked from one smiling face to another and groaned, "Hopeless. The two of you are hopeless. But hopeless or not, we have a kidnapped victim to find."

Lee sobered up quickly and asked, "Dr. Schuster is your only suspect? There's no one else?"

"All my money is on Schuster. He has the means, he has the opportunity," Francine stated.

"But what about motive? What does he gain from all of this?" Lee questioned.

"Money… and lots of it," Tom inserted. "We went through his financial statements and he could use the extra bonus he seemed to get each time one of those girls went missing."

"Okay, I can buy that," Lee agreed. He checked his watch once more and stated, "If we head out now, and say... we check back in three hours? We should be able to cover at least half of these within that time."

Francine stood up and announced, "Let's go." She walked across the bullpen to Billy's door and knocked twice.

"Enter!" Billy bellowed from inside.

Francine opened the door and leaned inside, "Hey, Edwards and I are heading out to check out Dr. Schuster's addresses. We've recruited Lee to take half the list, so we can get through all this in one shot."

Billy looked up from the report he was reading, "Good. Get Lee out of here, maybe he won't hover over every little move Amanda makes."

"Well, she's not here yet, so, hopefully, she'll get some breathing room when she does. Have you noticed how much more protective he is now?" Francine asked softly.

Billy folded his forearms on the desk and leaned forward, "I do, but I think it's just his way. He's protective of every female agent around here, you included Francine. Do you remember what happened last year when Sergei tried to set you up? Lee was ready to give up everything for you, just walk away from his career to prove you were set up."

"You're right, Billy. I wasn't thinking like that," Francine admitted. She glanced behind her where Lee and Tom were waiting. "We'll be back in a few hours, check-in in three."

"Go find this monster, Francine. Get him off the street. If Dr. Schuster is the one, get him," Billy commanded with a sharp nod.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Three hours later, Lee clenched his jaw as he listened to Billy on the phone, "I'll send someone out to start looking for her. I don't like this either because it's not like her to be this late without a phone call, but I really need you to stay on with Francine and Edwards. I'm sure Amanda is completely fine. Maybe she just had car trouble or something."

Lee glanced down at his watch and shook his head, "I better call Dotty and let her know I'm… we're going to be late. I don't even know what to say to her."

"Tell you what, I'll call Dotty. I'll tell her you both got hung up on an interview or something out of town. We'll find her, Lee. We don't even know if she's truly missing or-" Billy stated. Lee cut him off quickly, "Don't go there! You know better than that!" Billy cleared his throat, "I do. But I also know Amanda."

"Yeah, Amanda, my wife who has a knack for getting herself into trouble at the drop of a hat!" Lee snapped.

Billy raised his voice on the other end of the phone, "Stop it right now, Scarecrow! We will find her! And when she's sitting in her car on the side of the road waiting for the Motor Club to fix a flat tire you're going to feel pretty stupid overreacting like this."

Lee clenched his jaw once more, his nostrils flaring angrily, "I hope that's the case, Billy. I really do. But something in my gut tells me otherwise." He looked down at the list of addresses he had left to cover. "I'm going to check in with Francine, see how they're doing. I have three more locations to check out from the list she gave me."

"I'll have Henderson and Waters start at that store she was at. What was the name of it?" Billy questioned.

"Maggie and Tuck's," Lee stated. "Let me know the second you find her," Lee instructed before he added, "IF you find her."

"We'll find her, Scarecrow," Billy insisted just before Lee pressed the END button on his car phone.

Lee punched the numbers for Francine's phone and waited for the connection to complete. "Desmond!" "Francine, it's me. How are you two doing with that list?" Lee asked.

"Any news on Amanda?" Francine replied.

"No, not yet, but Billy is sending Henderson and Waters out to start looking for her," Lee sighed.

"Good," she exhaled. In another breathe she added, "We're on our last location right now. Every spot we visited is either occupied by a renter or business. How are you doing?"

"Slow going. I have three more to go," Lee admitted. "But the first five were the same as yours, a business or a renter. I did meet a very nice old lady who offered me tea and cake for information on Dr. Schuster though."

Francine laughed loudly, "Did you take her up on that offer?"

Lee laughed lightly in return. "As a matter of fact, I did. If I've learned one thing from Amanda over the years, I've learned neighbors are a great source of information. Now, she's not exactly a neighbor but she's been renting from Dr. Schuster for the last two years and she stated she's noticed a change in him the last few months. Said it started right around the time the first victim was found. She said he was in her apartment, collecting her rent, the news report came on and his face went white. She said she thought it was just because it was a young, pregnant woman and he was upset by that," he rambled. "She then added she's only seen him twice since then to pick up her rent and he was very nervous each time, not his usual, charming self."

"That's not the only thing you seemed to have learned from Amanda. I'm still trying to figure out how you said that all in one breath," Francine teased.

"Very funny!" Lee snapped.

Francine laughed again before adding, "Tell you what, how about Edwards and I meet you for the last two and I'll spring for dinner tonight."

Lee exhaled, "I'll take the offer for the help but I'll pass on dinner. If they haven't found Amanda by then, I want to be out there, looking."

"I understand. Okay, where are you now?" Francine asked.

"I just got to Longbranch, so I still have June and Alabama left," Lee explained as he scanned the neighborhood. "It's pretty quiet here, so I don't expect to find much." He watched as a station wagon filled with kids slowly rolled by him. Unconsciously, he smiled and waved.

"We'll meet you at Alabama then," Francine stated before she disconnected the call.

Lee stretched his long legs, inhaled, and exhaled loudly as he approached a small, brick-faced, ranch style home. He rapped several times on the door and listened for the sound of anyone inside. Almost immediately a sharp bark replied, followed by a louder, deeper one. Lee glanced over at the picture window to see a brown chihuahua with big eyes and ears staring back at him. Behind the petite animal was a much larger Rottweiler, aggressively barking and lunging at the glass separating them. Lee exhaled nervously and took a step to his left, away from the window. He held his hand up to knock once more but lowered it as soon as he heard a thin voice snap, "Get down! It's just the door." The door slowly swung inward until it revealed it's occupant, a young woman in a wheelchair. Before Lee could say anything, the chihuahua jumped into her lap protectively as the other dog tried to push the door open wider.

"I'm so sorry to disturb you," Lee began with a soft smile.

"It's okay. Can I help you?" the woman asked.

Lee held up his badge and explained, "My name is Lee Stetson and I'm a federal agent. Can I ask you a few questions?"

"Of course. Would you like to come in?" she offered as she reached for the handle on the door.

Lee took a step back and shook his head. He stared at the menacing-looking dog beside her and stuttered, "No, no, that's ok. I won't take a lot of your time. Do you know Dr. Stanley Schuster?"

The woman reached out to pat the larger dog, "Duke, sit." The dog immediately followed her command, dropping his back half to the floor, his tongue lolling happily to the side as she scratched behind his ear. "Yes, Dr. Schuster is my landlord, along with Glennys Martin. Is Dr. Schuster in trouble?"

"You said Glennys Martin is also your landlord?" Lee questioned, surprised with a new name. "Who is that?"

"She is Dr. Schuster's partner, I guess. I'm not really sure what their relationship is but they own the house together. Each month, my rent checks alternate between the two of them," the woman explained.

Lee pulled out his small notepad and a pen, "I'm sorry… your name is?"

"My name is Chrissy Pritchard. This here is Duke and this little bugger is Buck Buck," Chrissy stated with a smile as she rubbed each dog after their introduction.

Lee relaxed a little and leaned closer to the door. "Duke's a pretty big boy, huh?" he teased. He smiled at Buck Buck but before he could comment, the small canine began yipping and barking again.

"You hush! He's not going to hurt me," Chrissy reprimanded the dog. She tucked him into the crook of her arm and laughed, "Buck doesn't let anyone near me. Including Dr. Schuster. He goes nuts every time he comes by."

Lee stepped back and asked, "When was the last time you saw Dr. Schuster?"

Chrissy rolled her eyes upward to think, "Three months ago, I think. Glennys picked up the last two checks, so, yeah… three months."

"And this Glennys… do you know where I might be able to locate her in case I have any more questions about Dr. Schuster?" Lee looked up from his notepad.

Chrissy smiled widely, "That I can tell you! She's the manager of Maggie and Tuck's. That maternity and baby store downtown."

Lee inhaled sharply, "Thank you very much for your time, Ms. Pritchard."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

"Amanda?" Camilla exhaled. "I need you to get Dr. Schuster! Something's wrong!" she cried between forced breaths.

Amanda brushed Camilla's damp hair off her forehead and tried to soothe the young woman, "No, nothing's wrong. This is all perfectly normal. You're in labor. You're baby's going to be here before you know it."

"Labor?!" Camilla snapped, her eyes wide with fear. "I should be in a hospital, not here!"

"Shhh, just relax. Try to breathe through the pain," Amanda assured her. She checked her watch and mentally calculated the time between the last contraction. "You still have plenty of time to get to a hospital. We just need to get Dr. Schuster's attention and let him know."

Camilla sunk back against the pillows and closed her eyes. "Please, try to get him. I'm scared," she whispered.

Amanda brushed her hair back once more and stood. She crossed the room to the locked wooden door and knocked on it a few times. She waited a minute then slapped the door with her open hand several times, hoping the sound would get Dr. Schuster's attention. Outside, the daylight was changing to dusk, what she could see of the sky between the overgrown trees around the house was becoming light gray as the sun began to set.

When Dr. Schuster didn't answer, she entered the small bathroom to the right. She found a few small washcloths folded on a shelf. Amanda took one of the cloths and soaked it with cold water before she returned to the bedroom. Camilla's eyes were still closed as she waited for the next round of pain to grip her body. Amanda sat on the edge of the bed beside her. She folded the wet cloth and draped it over Camilla's forehead. "Thank you," Camilla whispered sadly.

"You're going to be okay. Just rest," Amanda repeated.

Camilla opened her eyes and blinked back the tears now overflowing, "I never should have listened to Dr. Schuster. I never should have agreed to go with him. He told me... " she sobbed silently before she continued. "He told me he had set up a private meeting, so I could meet the family that is going to take my baby. He said they didn't drive in the city, so he was bringing me to their house…" she trailed off as the next contraction began.

Amanda reached out and held her hand in an effort to comfort her once more. Camilla gripped her fingers tightly as she fought the contraction that gripped her body. "Don't fight it. Just breathe… in and out… in and out," she instructed once more. Camilla responded as Amanda's instructions became a chant until finally, the contraction passed. "There, that's better. Good."

"Do you still think… is your husband going to find us? Before the baby comes?" Camilla questioned between several more long exhales.

Amanda wiped her brow with the damp cloth and smiled, "He's never let me down yet."

"I wish I could say the same. Every man in my life has let me down. My Dad left when I was nine, my Grandpa was nothing more than a drunk, and my baby's father… well… he couldn't hit me hard enough when I first told him I was pregnant. That's when I realized I would do anything to make sure that this little one had a good life with a family that could give him or her more than I ever could," Camilla explained softly.

Amanda wiped her tears away and gave her a weak smile, "I bet, deep down, you know that whatever decision you make, it will be out of love."

Camilla covered her belly protectively and cried, "I never knew I could love someone so much and my heart breaks to think what might happen right now."

Amanda fought back her own tears. Her left hand rubbed her belly as one of the twins prodded along. "We'll find a way out of this. I promise you, Camilla, we'll find a way out."

Camilla reached up suddenly and gripped Amanda's hand tightly, "It's another one!" Amanda checked her watch and fear washed over her as she quickly realized the contractions were coming faster and closer together. Silently, she prayed Lee would find them in time.

Three miles away, Lee drove toward the house Dr. Schuster had Amanda and Camilla locked in. He had just hung up the phone with Billy after learning Amanda's car was nowhere to be found nor had anyone seen her since she left Maggie and Tuck's earlier that day. The clerk at the store did inform Henderson and Waters that Amanda had left well before noon and Glennys Martin left just before they showed up.

A sick, worried feeling settled into the pit of Lee's stomach as he was torn with finishing the search for Dr. Schuster at this last location or leaving Francine and Edwards to do it themselves. "Amanda, where the hell are you?" Lee questioned aloud before slamming his hand off the steering wheel. He angrily jerked the wheel to the right to pull over, Francine following behind.

"What's going on?" she asked after he sprinted to her car.

"Amanda's still missing. No one has seen or heard from her since this morning. It's now, " Lee looked down at his watch, "Almost six-thirty. That's over six hours since the last time anyone saw her."

Francine glanced over at Tom sitting beside her, "Look, we're almost at the last location. Let's just finish this and then we can start our own search."

"Where? Where are we going to look for her? They've checked everywhere already," Lee snapped.

"What about the adoption agencies? What if…" Francine began when Tom interrupted her. "What if Amanda is completely fine? And we are making a bigger deal out of nothing?"

Lee erupted in anger, "Nothing? Listen you little-"

"Lee, calm down!" Francine shouted. "This isn't going to find Dr. Schuster or Amanda. So let's just finish our search. Billy's all over the search for her so just stop!"

Lee slammed his hand off the roof of Francine's car. He clenched his jaw tightly as he breathed heavily. He stared off into the distance weighing his options. After a long minute, he looked back at Francine and stated, "Let's find this house and then you can help me or not but I'm going to find Amanda."

"We'll follow you," Francine stated with a sharp nod at Lee and a glaring stare at Tom who slipped slightly lower in his seat.

Lee stormed back to the 'Vette and slid inside. He put the car in gear before spinning his tires as he jerked the car away from the side of the road. He drove faster than necessary until he reached the street they were searching for. Seeing children playing outside, he slowed his speed and scanned the houses, looking for the number Francine had written down.

As they neared the house, he pulled over again and parked his car. Francine once again pulled up behind him. The trio stood between the cars as they devised a plan. "How about Tom and I go to the door while you talk to the neighbors? A little divide and conquer?" she suggested with a strained smile.

Lee looked around and nodded, "Yeah, but in and out. I don't want to waste any more time than necessary."

"Agreed. Then, we go looking for Amanda," Francine declared with a nod from Tom. The trio separated, Lee headed to the neighbor's house while Francine and Tom approached the front door.

Back in the house, Dr. Schuster had just opened the locked door to check on Camilla. "Dr. Schuster, she really needs to get to a hospital," Amanda explained as Camilla gripped her hand once more.

"No, she'll be fine. After all, she has you to help her," Dr. Schuster stated coldly. From the bottom of the stairs, the strained sounds of the doorbell echoed around.

"I'll get it," a female voice replied. Amanda could hear the scraping sound of the deadbolt releasing then a familiar voice drifted up.

"Is Dr. Schuster here?" Francine asked.

Recognition hit almost immediately. Amanda's eyes widened and she quickly yelled out, "Francine! Help!" before both doors were slammed shut simultaneously.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

"Lee!" Francine shouted as she scrambled off the porch. Lee, his hand raised to knock on the neighbor's door, snapped his head in her direction. He watched, confused as Francine and Tom approached his direction. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think I just heard Amanda inside that house," Francine rushed out.

"Amanda? Are you sure?" Lee responded, his eyes wide. He quickly joined them on the sidewalk to evaluate the house. As he scanned the high grass and the overgrown shrubbery that covered most of the front windows as well as the front porch, he noticed they obscured his view.

Francine shook her head, "I'm not sure but it sounded like she called my name and said help maybe? It happened so fast, then that woman slammed the door on me."

"Woman? What woman?" Lee questioned.

"I don't know, the woman that opened the door," Francine reacted with an annoyed tone.

Tom, watched the exchange and interjected, "Maybe we should split up. What if Francine and I cover the front and, Mr. Stetson, you take the back. If Amanda is inside, we have to find a way to get in there."

Lee glared at Tom for a moment before agreeing, "You're right. We might not know what's going on but you did hear someone calling for help, so that gives us probable cause to investigate."

Francine reached into her handbag and pulled out a small revolver. Lee quickly followed suit and tugged his Glock from his hip holster. They both looked at Tom who simply shrugged his shoulders, "I didn't bring mine. I didn't think we'd need it."

Francine closed her eyes and groaned, "Newbies." She turned back to Lee and motioned toward the driveway. "You head that way. Newbie and I will try the front and see if we can see anything through those windows."

"Holler if you see anything," Lee nodded before he jogged to the end of the driveway. He slowly made his way along the edge of the house, disappearing from Francine and Tom's view.

"Let's do this," Francine stated. She walked up to the front of the house carefully and peered into one of the dirty windows. Inside she caught a glimpse of a tall man wearing a suit who appeared to be talking to someone. His hands were gesturing wildly, although, Francine couldn't hear what he was saying.

Dr. Schuster and Glennys were arguing about what they should do. "I told you this was a bad idea! Those are the same agents who came to the clinic asking questions yesterday!" he snapped.

Glennys looked toward the front door and stated, "You get rid of them, I'll see what I can do about the stuff in the basement."

Dr. Schuster shook his head angrily, "No, I'm not going down for this alone. This was all your idea!"

"My idea?!" Glennys snapped back. "You were the one who said it would be so easy. You told me, if I could get the women to your agencies, then you could build their trust."

Dr. Schuster pointed at her accusingly, "You were the one that found the buyers, not me!"

"And you supplied the drugs that killed those women, didn't you," Glennys reminded him with a sneer. Before he could reply she slipped down the basement stairs, slamming the door behind her, leaving Dr. Schuster in the room alone. He looked at the front door then toward the back where he noticed movement near the corner of the house.

Lee stepped into the backyard and immediately his heart sank when he saw Amanda's car parked. Just as quickly, his anger flared, the muscle in his cheek twitching wildly. He stopped next to the car to check for blood or any other signs of a struggle. He exhaled a tentative sigh of relief when he found the car in pristine condition just like Amanda kept it. He turned back to the house and moved to the first window he saw. He looked inside and scanned the room, but found it empty.

At the front of the house, Francine discovered the front door was bolted closed. Knowing it was going to be no use to try to pick the lock or break the door down, she motioned to Tom to follow her around the porch to an area previously hidden behind the bushes. There, she spotted another, paint-chipped door. Sarcastically, she muttered, "Maybe we can see who's behind green door number two?" Tom raised his eyebrows and quietly stepped to the side of a window. He peered inside and caught sight of the man running toward the front door as Francine tested the knob on the door they found. It turned easily in her hand and swung inward into a small entryway where another door blocked their entrance to an unknown room.

In the backyard, Lee could see Dr. Schuster running toward the front of the house. He slammed his shoulder against the green, paint-chipped door. Dr. Schuster faltered in his steps at the sound but quickly regained his purpose and scrambled to the door. He twisted the bolts and threw the door open. He took off running toward the street, where Tom spotted him. "Francine!" he shouted before he began running after the doctor.

Lee slammed the door several more times until the wooden door frame splintered and released. He tumbled into the house, his gun drawn. He could see the front door swinging, Dr. Schuster already having escaped. Beside him, he heard a scraping sound followed by several small thumps. Lee darted into the next room where he hid just around the corner. From above, he heard more thumps and bangs, followed by muffled sounds that he couldn't identify. Lee leaned to the side and from the corner of his eye, he watched another door swing inward. He stepped into sight, trained his gun on the unknown assailant and shouted, "Don't move!" Across from him, Francine had her gun pointed at him. Together, they both exhaled audibly. The banging sounds continued from above.

"You take upstairs. If I'm right, that's where I heard the voice shouting from. I'll take this floor," Francine commanded. Lee responded with a silent nod as the pair separated. He watched Francine sweep the rooms first before she softly called out, "Clear. I'll take the basement, you go."

Lee took the stairs two by two as quietly as he could. The banging became louder as he approached the top and suddenly, Amanda's muffled voice filtered through, "We're up here!"

"Amanda?" Lee called as he scanned the room beside him for anyone else.

"Lee! Lee, we need help! Call an ambulance!" Amanda cried out.

Lee immediately panicked, "What?" He pulled on the door frantically until he realized the bolts were twisted tight. In his haste, he fumbled with the locks, resetting one of them several times before he finally twisted them all free. He threw the door open and found Amanda sitting on the bed, holding a terrified looking young woman. "Amanda! Are you?"

"I'm okay, but Camilla doesn't have much more time. Her baby is coming and it's coming fast. We need an ambulance," Amanda assured him. Lee closed the gap between them and fell to his knees before her. He scoured her face for any indication she was hurt or in pain. "I'm fine, I'm fine. She needs help."

In the basement, Francine found Glennys throwing vials and other medical items into a box. "Don't move, unless you want to find another use for those gauze pads you just threw in there."

Glennys stopped moving and slowly straightened her knees. She watched Francine in the reflection of a long-forgotten mirror propped against the wall. As Francine neared her, she grabbed the box, spun in Francine's direction and launched the cardboard container at her. Instinctively, Francine squeezed off a bullet, the sound echoing loudly in the small, stone-lined space. Glennys moved quickly, running up the stairs as Francine tripped over the spilled contents of the box.

On the second floor, Lee heard the gunshot. He pushed himself to his feet and turned to run toward the sound. Camilla began a low wail as another strong contraction hit her. He stopped and stared at the woman as Amanda begged, "Please don't leave us."


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

On the street, Tom lagged further and further behind Dr. Schuster as they wove down several streets and through a few yards until the pain in his hip forced him to stop completely. He limped back toward the house just in time to see Glennys Martin run across the overgrown grass while Francine was just clearing the front door. He gritted his teeth and took off running again, the pain in his leg becoming a slow-burning fire. Ignoring the pain, he managed to reach out and lock his arms around her waist as they tumbled to the ground. Despite her efforts to wriggle out of his grasp, he held her tightly until Francine reached them.

"Well done, Edwards. You tackled a woman. Now, what happened with Schuster?" Francine asked sarcastically as she slapped a set of handcuffs around Glennys' wrists. She pulled her roughly to her feet as Tom tentatively stood and regained his balance.

Tom shook his head apologetically, "I couldn't catch him. I tried but my hip…" He trailed off and studied the ground at his feet. He rubbed his hip unconsciously, as he tried to massage the pain away.

Francine reached out and said, "Hey, we can't get all the bad guys all the time. He'll turn up again. You did pretty good getting this far."

Tom raised his chin and gave her a weak smile, "Thanks." He looked around and asked, "Where's Scarecrow?"

"Good question. Let's get our new friend here in the car and I'll check the rest of the house," Francine stated as she shoved Glennys toward her car parked several houses away.

On the second floor, Lee was making every effort to leave the room to call an ambulance. "Amanda, I just need to find a phone and I'll be right back, I promise," Lee insisted.

"Lee, please, I can't do this alone and I don't think an ambulance will get here fast enough," Amanda informed him, her eyes pleading for him to stay.

Camilla reached out and grabbed his arm as another contraction hit. She curled her body forward and tried to stand despite the intense pain. "Need… hospital," she groaned through tightly-clenched teeth. She was straddling his bent leg, using his shoulder for leverage.

"See, she needs a hospital," Lee repeated. Without warning, he felt a sudden warmth followed by wetness spreading across his pant leg. He looked up, his eyes wide and asked, "What is that?"

Amanda gently guided Camilla back down onto the bed and stated, "Her water just broke. And, if this is going to be anything like when I had Jamie, things are going to start happening faster, so go get a towel from that bathroom." Amanda pointed at the door in the corner and added, "See if there's a bulb syringe."

Lee stepped back and estimated the damage to his pants and shoes. Confused, he asked, "A what?"

"A bulb syringe. Should be blue, maybe white. About the size of a small lemon with a long end," Amanda explained. She was concentrating on getting Camilla settled through the contraction she was having.

Camilla grabbed Amanda's arm and shook her head. "I can't do this. I don't want to do this. I want to go to the hospital. I want them to do it," she cried.

"See, she can't do this here," Lee agreed.

"Go get a towel and anything else you can find and get back here," Amanda commanded in a tone she usually reserved for punishing the boys. Lee took several long strides stopping only when he heard Francine ascending the stairs.

"Is everything all right up here?" Francine asked when she cleared the first landing and saw Lee standing in the doorway.

Lee looked over his shoulder at Amanda and Camilla who were currently repositioning themselves on the bed. He looked back at Francine and stated, "Call an ambulance. Now!"

Francine's face immediately went white, "Is Amanda hurt?" she asked as she rushed up the remaining steps. From within the room, Camilla began another low growl followed by an intense scream that sent shivers down Lee's spine. "What was that?" Francine demanded.

"Francine, unless you want to stay and play midwife, I suggest you do as Lee asked and find a phone to call nine-one-one!" Amanda called out. Francine turned immediately without a word and rushed down the stairs. Lee scrambled into the bathroom and looked around frantically. He found several towels on the towel rack beside the small tub. He grabbed those, pulling the rack off the wall in the process. He threw open the medicine cabinet, smashing the wooden door against the wall. "Um… syringe, syringe, what the hell was that again?" Lee sputtered as he scanned the contents of the small cabinet. Tucked in the corner he spotted something blue, roughly the same shape that Amanda had described. He snatched the rubbery object and hurried back into the bedroom where Amanda had just gotten Camilla's feet on the edge of the bed. He dropped everything beside her and demanded, "What do I do?"

Amanda positioned herself beside Camilla and took the young woman's hand in hers. "Okay, Camilla, on the next contraction, I'm going to ask you to push."

Lee's face went white as the implication of her instructions set in. "Are you sure that's what you want her to do, Amanda? I mean, don't you think she-" Lee stammered.

Camilla began another low wail. "That's it, Camilla. Put all that energy into your baby. Let's meet him," Amanda encouraged. Lee stood helpless as he watched his wife coach Camilla through the final stages of delivery. After several more pushes, Amanda waved her hand toward the towels and Lee grabbed on and looked at her for guidance. "Just don't drop anything," Amanda stated cryptically.

"Drop anything? What do you think I'm going to drroooo-Woah!" Lee exclaimed. He looked down to see Camilla's baby's unblinking eyes staring back at him. He dropped to his knees and slipped his hands beneath the silent baby. "Why isn't it…" Lee let the question hang.

Camilla looked up at Amanda, her eyes filled with fear, "What's wrong? Why isn't it crying? Shouldn't it be crying?"

Amanda looked down at Lee, "Clear it's mouth. Quickly."

Lee grabbed the bulb syringe and held it up helplessly. Amanda made a squeezing motion with her fingers to indicate what she needed him to do. Lee placed the narrow tip into the baby's mouth and did his best to suction any liquid out. During that process, that baby began to squirm slightly. Without thinking, he dropped the syringe and rubbed the blanket against the little body he cradled in his hands, earning a small but audible whimper followed by a louder howl.

"He's okay, Camilla. He's going to be just fine," Amanda assured her as she brushed damp strands of hair off her forehead. From outside, they could hear the approaching wailing of the ambulance sirens. "Just in time," Amanda nodded in Lee's direction.

He carefully lifted the baby into Camilla's arms before he reached over to squeeze Amanda's hand. "He's going to be okay because of you, Amanda. They both are," Lee stated with a shaky breath.

Seconds later, Francine was standing at the top of the stairs with a paramedic, "Right in here." She looked at Lee, his pants still damp, his normally immaculate dress shirt splattered with unidentified fluids. "Do I want to know what happened in here?" she asked.

Lee stepped to the side, allowing the paramedic access to Camilla. "Just the miracle of life, Francine. That's all," he stated with a dimpled smile in Amanda's direction. "And, thanks to Amanda's guidance, I think everyone is going to be just fine."

The paramedic let out a small laugh as he said, "Well, I guess we get the easy part then. You did all the hard work. But let's get you to the hospital." He called down to his partner at the bottom of the stairs, "Bring the chair for mama and baby."

"We should probably…I should wash my hands," Lee pointed at the small bathroom. He stepped inside and closed the door. He cranked the hot water on and held his hands under the running water as he willed his racing heart to slow down. He scrubbed his hands thoroughly before he snapped the tap off and placed his hands on either side of the sink. He dropped his head and took several deep breaths before he heard the door creak open beside him. Amanda stepped into the small space with him. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I don't know what I would have done if…" his voice cracked with emotions before trailing off.

Amanda held him tightly, silent tears sliding down her cheeks. "We're okay. And you did a great job in there," she assured him.

Lee lifted his head from her shoulder and pressed his lips to her temple, "Don't you ever do that to me again, you hear me!"

Amanda began to chuckle before she felt a sharp pain radiate across her back. "Lee! Something's wrong," she groaned.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

Eighteen hours later, Amanda was lying in a hospital bed, Lee by her side. "Yes, Mother, I'm all right. The doctor said the pain shouldn't last too much longer but I have to be a little more careful," she repeated again. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration as she continued, "No, Mother, I'm not in labor. I explained that. It's just Sciatica. Yes, I know your Great-Aunt Dori had it, too." Amanda nodded several times before she lied, "I'm sorry, Mother, the doctor just came in, so I think I'll be able to leave soon. I'll tell Lee. Okay, I love you, too." She dropped the phone on the receiver with a loud groan. She turned to Lee and said, "Mother asked me to remind you to pick up the dry cleaning on the way home. Mother said she would have gotten it herself but she was so worried, she forgot all about it and she said she needs her blue blouse for tomorrow."

Lee exhaled, "Glad to see the home front is still operating smoothly."

"Amanda, you were saying how Lee got there just in time?" Billy encouraged Amanda to finish.

Amanda smiled at Lee, patted his hand and announced, "That's right, he got there just in time. Poor Camilla was in the final stages of labor and I don't know what I would have done if he wasn't there." Lee cringed slightly as he recalled the details of the previous day.

Billy began laughing softly, "Please, go on."

"Well, just a few minutes after Lee got there, Camilla's water broke all over Lee's pant leg," she began to explain. Billy's laughter began to get louder as she continued, "Then I had to send him into the other room to get towels and a bulb syringe only he didn't know what that was, so I had to explain it to him. And poor Camilla, everything was happening so fast."

"Poor Camilla, what about my shirt?" Lee lamented only half-seriously.

Billy frowned, confused and asked, "What happened to your shirt?"

"What didn't happen to my shirt?" Lee replied with a sweep of his hands. "That'll never come out, I'm sure."

Amanda patted his hand again and assured him, "Don't worry. It's only a little bit of blood and fluid. I'm sure I can get that right out."

"Blood?" Billy laughed louder. "Fluid? Scarecrow?" His laughter became a full roar until Amanda added, "Yes, sir. He was a great midwife. Camilla thinks so, too. She was so happy she and her baby were safe, she's naming him after Lee. Well, sort of. Owen Lee Cintas. Has a nice little ring to it."

"Okay, okay, enough about what happened yesterday. I'm just glad the doctors said your condition isn't serious. After all, your mother would never let me hear the end of it, if it was," Lee tried to change the subject.

Beside the bed, Billy chuckled loudly again, "Sounds like Dotty is still worried."

Lee reached up to take Amanda's hand in his, "With good reason. Amanda should never have gone to that store alone."

"Sweetheart, we had no idea the manager of Maggie and Tuck's was involved with Dr. Schuster. You can't protect me everywhere I go," Amanda tried.

"Why the hell not?" Lee snapped quickly. "If I had been with you or if you had taken your mother, none of this would have happened."

Amanda squeezed his hand tightly and said, "And you wouldn't have been out helping Francine and Tom, so you never would have found that house when you did. Poor Camilla could be…well…we won't even talk about that."

Billy pursed his lips before he added, "Amanda's right. We never would have known, even with all the intel we found on Dr. Schuster, that Glennys Martin was the real mastermind behind all of this."

"Were you able to find Dr. Schuster?" Amanda asked.

Billy nodded, "We did, trying to board a plane for France. Turns out he left his passport at the office and when he made a stink at the gate, they arrested him on the spot. Saved us a lot of trouble trying to track him down. When will people learn?"

"Did he tell you why?" Lee questioned. He was still angry with himself for not protecting Amanda better and even more angry at Francine for asking for her help in the first place.

"I guess Ms. Martin found him at the International Adoption Summit last year. She was promoting the new store for the company when they got to talking. He had made a comment about how certain governments were shutting down international adoptions both in and out of the US. One thing led to another and they found a few buyers for black market babies. Dr. Schuster had access to medical records and mother profiles," Billy explained.

Amanda shook her head sadly, "But how does that go to murder?"

Billy shrugged his shoulders, "Your guess is as good as mine but I will say one thing. I'm glad they're off the streets and they can't harm anyone ever again. I don't see a judge allowing them the chance to see the light of day any time soon."

"Well, I'm glad I won't have to worry about Amanda being off on her own, alone again, because it's not going to happen," Lee stated firmly.

Amanda twisted her head in his direction, "What do you mean, 'it's not going to happen'?"

Lee raised his eyebrows and declared again, "It's not going to happen."

"Lee," Billy tried to get his attention, however, Amanda's angry retort drowned out his soft tone. "What are you going to do, keep me hostage in our home? Give me an armed escort everywhere I go?" she demanded.

Lee released her hand and stood up, "If I have to, then yeah."

"Amanda," Billy tried again.

"I'm not incapable of-" Amanda defended until Lee cut her off.

"If you weren't so incapable, then how did Schuster get you into the car? And then what…did he bribe you to drive over to that house? And maybe…just maybe…he offered you candy to lock you into that room with that poor girl?" Lee questioned sarcastically, his voice rising nearly an octave.

"Lee!" Billy snapped but the pair were oblivious to his presence.

Amanda pushed herself up into a higher sitting position as best she could before she yelled back, "Oh well…I suppose you would have done better with a gun pointed at your stomach?"

"See! That's exactly what I'm talking about!" Lee pointed at her angrily. "If you weren't alone, none of this would have happened! He never would have tried to take you on by himself. You'd be home right now, safe and sound, where you belong!"

Having heard enough, Billy barked out a sharp, "Scarecrow, that's it!" Amanda and Lee's heads snapped in Billy's direction simultaneously. "Now, I have heard some pretty stupid things in my career, but that is by far the stupidest!" Lee's mouth gaped open and closed like a fish out of water. He was completely at a loss for words as Billy continued to reprimand them.

"And you, Amanda! We all know how capable you really are, however, I think you are forgetting how often you find yourself in trouble for no apparent reason," Billy stated.

"But, sir," Amanda stuttered.

"No, I never want to hear this nonsense coming from the two of you again otherwise, I'll be forced to terminate your partnership. Permanently!" he added forcefully.

"Yes, sir," Amanda replied softly followed by a sheepish, "Sorry, Billy" from Lee.

"Now, I'm going to leave you two alone to work through this, but if I hear one more accusation or anything resembling one, that's it!" Billy informed them as he stormed over to the door. "Not going to happen," he muttered before adding loudly, "The only thing that's not going to happen is you two working together if you don't figure this out." He pulled the door open and stared angrily at the two of them. "And one more thing!" he added. "I'm glad you weren't hurt Amanda and I'm glad we got that riff-raff off the streets. I'll expect to see you in the office tomorrow Scarecrow and that's an order."

Lee nodded, "Yes, sir. And I'll be sure to have both my report and Amanda's all finished." Billy left the room leaving Lee and Amanda alone. Amanda picked at a small piece of lint on the sheet. Lee ran his hand through his hair and looked at his wife. "Amanda…I'm sorry. Billy's right. I was acting like a jerk just now."

"And I should have paid more attention to your feelings," Amanda replied softly as she reached up to touch his arm.

"You know I didn't mean any of that stuff, right?" Lee asked nervously.

Amanda rubbed his hand with hers and assured him, "I know. You say things like that when you get scared and I know you were scared. I was scared, too. But I knew you would find us in time and you did and we're safe just like I knew we would be. And Camilla's safe and her baby is safe…all because of you."

Lee sat on the edge of her bed and took her hands in his. "I don't want to think about what could have happened if I wasn't there to find you. I'm just glad I did." He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. "Now what?"

"Now? Now we go home and we start preparing for the girls. And I don't offer to help Francine in the field for a while," Amanda teased.

"You promise?" Lee asked sweetly.

"Only if you promise not to hold me captive," Amanda replied with a smile.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

Several weeks later, Dotty and Francine were placing the final serving dishes of snacks out for Amanda and Lee's baby shower when Lee stormed into the kitchen, "Dotty, have you seen Amanda?"

Francine looked up from the tray of deviled eggs she was holding and announced, "She went to the store."

Lee glared at her, "What do you mean, she went to the store? How long ago did she leave?"

"She left about an hour ago. She said there was something special she wanted to pick up and she noticed you were low on half and half, so she went to the store," Francine informed him.

"Alone?" Lee snapped, his tone bordering on frantic.

Dotty stopped beside her son-in-law and patted his arm lovingly, "Relax, Lee. Philip went along with her for the ride. Now, the guests will be arriving soon, so why don't you make yourself useful and bring these chips and dip into the other room for me."

Lee exhaled a sigh of relief, "Okay, she went with Philip so she's not alone. Good. Did she say which store she was going to?"

"I believe she said she was going to Maggie and Tuck's before the market," Dotty called over her shoulder as she pulled more food from the refrigerator. Hearing the name of the store Lee tensed up again. Just as he was about to say something, the doorbell rang. "That must be Billy and Jeannie. She promised she was going to be here a few minutes early," Dotty announced. "Lee, can you get that for me?"

Lee carried the chips and dip with him and opened the door before the bells chimed a second time. Just as Dotty had suspected, Billy and Jeannie stood smiling on his front step. "Hey, Billy, Jeannie. Come on in. Dotty is in the kitchen…and I just have to put these down," Lee stated with a tentative smile.

Billy knew immediately something was bothering Lee but he waited until Jeannie disappeared into the kitchen. "Scarecrow, what's wrong?" he questioned in a soft but firm tone.

Lee looked around, placed the bowls he was carrying onto the side table in the living room and motioned for Billy to follow him into the office. He closed the door behind them and sunk down into one of the leather chairs. "I don't know. I just…" he started before exhaling loudly. "Amanda went back to that baby store and I just started to panic," he admitted.

Billy smoothed the front of his shirt before he stated, "She's going to be fine. Did she go alone?"

Lee shook his head, "No, she took Philip with her. She has to go to the market, too."

Billy placed his hand on Lee's shoulder, "Don't worry so much, Lee. Since she was released from the hospital, how many times has she gone anywhere alone?"

"If you don't count the drive to work after dropping the boys off, none," Lee stated.

"And how many days is she now working?" Billy reminded him again.

Lee sighed again. "Only three. And even then, they are just for a few hours each day because if she does too much, the pain in her back flares up again," he conceded.

"Right! So, she is doing exactly what the doctor told her and what you asked her to do, right?" Billy emphasized.

"You're right. I shouldn't panic. But how do I not? How do I get past this?" Lee moaned. He looked at Billy and quickly added, "And, no, I'm not talking to Pfaff about this. He tells Dr. Smyth and then we will be separated."

Billy gave him a sharp nod, "Fine. But I would suggest talking to Amanda about this. Let her know how you feel. She's pretty good about these types of things."

Lee pushed himself to a standing position and held his hand out, "Thanks, Billy. It's hard not having any real family to talk to about these things, and, well, you're pretty much family in my book."

Billy shook Lee's hand firmly and said, "That goes the same for you, too, Scarecrow. Now, let's see if Dotty needs any more help in the kitchen. The last thing either one of us wants is to be on her bad side today."

Lee pulled the door open and laughed loudly, "You don't know the half of it."

"Half of what? Lee, what are you talking about?" Dotty demanded as she stood outside of the office door, her hand raised to knock on it.

Lee's mouth dropped open for a second before he recovered, "Nothing. No, um. Billy and I were just coming out to see if you needed any more help."

Dotty bit her bottom lip and studied the faces of the two men before her. "Uh-huh," she uttered. Without warning, she shrugged her shoulders and announced, "Good, because I need you to get more ice from the fridge in the garage. And I need those gifts brought down from the girls' room that I wrapped last night. Oh, and I need to move your car. It's blocking the basketball hoop again and well, you know what happened the last time I moved your car in the driveway. I don't think we want a repeat of that, now do we?"

Billy immediately began laughing at Dotty's ramble as Lee headed to the front door. "I'll move my car right now!" he called.

"And I'll get the ice. Just point me in the right direction, Mrs. West," Billy chuckled.

"Follow me!" she sang as she waltzed into the kitchen cheerfully.

Over an hour later, most of the guests had already arrived and Lee was beginning to panic again as Amanda still wasn't back yet. He was doing his best to keep it together while he wandered from room to room, chatting with their friends and family all the while glancing outside for any glimpse of her car. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spotted the car driving slowly into their cul de sac. He threw open the door and was surprised to see Philip behind the wheel. He rushed out to the street to meet them and in his haste, he pulled the passenger door open, "What's wrong?"

Amanda, surprised, looked up, wide-eyed. "Nothing's wrong. What's wrong with you?"

"Do you know what time it is?" Lee demanded.

Amanda looked down at her wrist where her watch should have been and shook her head, "I must have left my watch on the nightstand."

Lee gestured at Philip, "Why is he driving? Are you all right? Do we need to call the doctor?"

Amanda carefully climbed out of the car and rubbed her back gingerly. "I bent down to pick up something at the market and I started getting pins and needles down my leg. I didn't think it was safe for me to drive like that, so I had Philip drive. He's been taking drivers' education classes in school, so I thought it would be okay, just this once under the circumstances," she explained.

Lee looked at Philip, now carrying the few bags of groceries into the house and whispered, "Oh."

"He did a really good job, Sweetheart. He drove nice and slow and we took as many of the side roads as we could, so he had to go slower," Amanda assured Lee. She looked up into his hazel eyes and stated, "I know you must have been worried and I'm sorry. I was in good hands."

Lee pulled her close in a gentle hug and admitted softly, "I was worried…and scared…when I heard you were going to that store again… I…"

Amanda hugged him back, her large belly keeping them separated, "I know. And I know something else, too."

Lee gave her a weak smile, "What's that?"

"These girls like chocolate just as much as Francine! I had a candy bar a little while ago and they haven't stopped," she teased.

As if on cue, Francine called from the front door, "It's about time you got back! Everyone's been waiting for you. Leave it to Amanda to be late for her own baby shower!"

Amanda laughed and dropped her forehead against Lee's shoulder. "We should probably get inside."

"We should because there is an enormous stack of presents waiting for you to open," Lee declared.

"Well, you know what they say?" Amanda replied as she slipped her arm around his waist to walk to the house.

"What's that?" Lee asked.

Amanda smiled widely and stated, "Good things come in small packages."

_To be continued in Small Packages._


End file.
